An Upper Area Court in Gwagwalada FCT, on Tuesday sentenced a 30-year-old unemployed man, Idris Dada, to four months imprisonment for stealing a cell phone worth N50,000 belonging to his friend.
Dada had confessed he stole the device when the owner was asleep.
The Judge, Malam Sani Umar, sentenced Dada after he pleaded guilty to the two counts of criminal trespass and theft.
Umar granted the convict an option to pay a fine of N30,000.
”If the convict fails to pay the fine, he will serve a jail term of two months for each of the offence which would run consecutively.
”The convict is hereby ordered to pay N50,000 in compensation to the complainant, being the value of the phone.
Earlier, the Prosecution Counsel, Dabo Yakubu, told the court that the complainant, Nwobodo Francis of new Kutunku, Gwagwalada, reported the matter at the police station on Jan. 1.
He said that the convict criminally trespassed into the house of the complainant and stole his Infinix smart V phone worth N50,000.
The prosecutor said that the offence contravened the provisions of sections 342 and 286 of the Penal Code.
The convict who initially pleaded not guilty, pleaded guilty and promised to pay for the phone.
“I stole the phone while the complainant was asleep. He is my friend. I will pay back for the phone I stole”, he pleaded.
