By Hastings Chigalu, Lilongwe Police PRO

The Principal Resident Magistrate court in Lilongwe has sentenced Paul Matekenya to five years imprisonment for tampering with Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (ESCOM) apparatus without authority, and personating a public officer at Area 36 in the Capital.

It was heard in court through Lilongwe Police Prosecutor Vincent Ntalawe, that the convict, earlier in the year went to Area 36, solicited money, and tampered two houses before climbing an electricity pole saying he wanted to electrify a problem on the pretext that he was an ESCOM employee.

The convict was later forced to descend from the electricity pole by village headman of the area after he failed to convince some community members that he really worked with the power utility company.

In court, Matekenya who previously served a two-year jail term at Maula Prison, prayed for leniency saying he is a family man.

But the State through Ntalawe, asked the court to slap Matekenya with a deterrent custodial sentence saying he benefited from the crime he committed after soliciting money from Escom customers.

Ntalawe further said that being a second time offender for similar offences, Matekenya demonstrated that the previous two-year imprisonment at Maula, never transformed him into a good citizen.

Passing his sentence, Principle Resident Magistrate Rodrick Michongwe concurred with the State, saying the convict’s conduct puts lives of people and property in the area at risk.

Michongwe then went on to sentence the convict to three years imprisonment for tampering with Escom Apparatus Without Authority (first count), and two years for Personating a Public Officer (second count). 

Sentences to run concurrently.

Matekenya hails from Mphunga Village in the area of Traditional Authority Khombedza in Salima District.

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