Ndirande resident, 18-year-old Francis Chimwaza, broke into a house at Ndirande last year and was on the run until last month when he was spotted wearing a T-shirt which he stole from the house.

According to Sub Inspector Widson Nhlane, Public Relations Officer Ndirande Police Station, State Prosecutor Sub Inspector Felezia Zaina of Ndirande Police Station told the Magistrate Mphalulo Fatchi that during the night of November 15 last year, Francis Chimwaza broke into a house at Safarao location within Ndirande Township and stole cellphone, mattress, DVD player, clothes and beddings.

Since then, he had been on the run until on July 3, this year, when Francis was spotted in the same area putting on T-Shirt which was among the stolen items from the complainant’s house. He was immediately apprehended.

Appearing in court, he pleaded guilty to both Burglary and Theft charges. Chimwaza then asked for leniency saying he is young.

Prosecutor Felezia Zaina, quickly came in and asked the court to slap him with stiffer custodial sentences, considering the offences committed are felonious in nature and that the owner lost all the property apart from the recovered T-shirt.

Magistrate Mphalulo Fatchi, being satisfied with the prosecutor’s submissions, ordered the convict to spend the next 3 years in prison for burglary and one year for theft to deter other would be offenders. Sentences to run concurrently.

Francis Chimwaza comes from Matope village in Traditional Authority Kapeni in Blantyre District.