Blackberry phone thief bags 3-month community service

Lagos — A 20-year-old Samuel Emmanuel, who stole
a Blackberry mobile phone valued at N21,000, was,
yesterday in Lagos sentenced to three months
community service.

An Oshodi Magistrates' court which handed down the
judgment said the court had no option than to
sentence Emmanuel since he had pleaded guilty to
the offence.

The Magistrate, Mr Akeem Fashola, ruled: "You
(Emmanuel) are hereby sentenced to three months
community service without an option of fine since
you have pleaded guilty to the charge."
Fashola said the accused should serve the
punishment within Oshodi-Isolo Local Government
Area.

Earlier, the prosecutor, Cpl. Kehinde Olatunde, told
the court that the accused committed the offence on
August 9 at Odalume Street, Sogunle.
According to him, the accused stole the phone
belonging to Dolapo Audu, where he was charging it.

He said: "Audu was charging his phone at a viewing
centre when the accused, who came pretending he
wanted to play games, stole it.

"When the accused was arrested the following day,
he confessed that he had sold the phone to someone
in Ikeja Computer Village for N10,000."

Olatunde said the offence contravened Section 285 of
the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.
Section 285 provides three years imprisonment for
stealing.

Sent from my BlackBerry wireless device from MTN