By Stephen Nuwagira
He confessed to stealing three bunches of matooke from a neighbour, but Prosper Nuwasaba blamed Satan for his actions, claiming that he was not a thief.
However, all his antics and pleas did not convince the Ibanda Grade One magistrate’s court, which handed him a nine-month jail term at Nyabuhikye Prison.
The 19-year-old resident of Rugarama in Nyarukika, Rukiri in the Ibanda district, had earlier pleaded guilty to the offense of stealing John Byensi’s bananas.
Consequently, the court presided over by Justice Esther Murungi convicted and sentenced him on his plea of guilt.
“I sentence you to nine months in prison, less of the time spent on remand because you did not waste court’s time,” the magistrate said while reading the sentence.
Murungi said the prison term would serve as a lesson so that others who wanted to reap what they did not sow could learn from him.
The offense of theft contravenes Sections 254(i) and 261 of the Penal Code Act and carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison on conviction.
Byensi, who said the three bunches of bananas were worth sh60,000, had prayed to the court to give the convict a deterrent sentence, saying his bananas were disappearing mysteriously.
Earlier, the court heard that Nuwasaba stole the three bunches of bananas on September 18, 2022. He sold two of them when he learnt that the Police were hunting for him. He fled to Buhweju district and only returned to the village when he thought the situation had calmed down, according to the prosecution.
However, his luck soon ran out when a villager saw him, notified Byensi, and informed the Police. He was arrested on October 6 and charged accordingly.
