By Lucky Isibor,
An Egor Magistrate’s Court sitting in Benin City, Edo State on Monday, January 20, sentenced a 26-year-old man, Udoh Effong to one month in prison for stealing a laptop from his employer.
The Magistrate, Esohe Ighodan sentenced Effong, after he pleaded guilty to stealing and begged the court for leniency.
Ighodan, however, gave the convict an option to pay a fine of N10,000.
According to the Magistrate, the convict was sentenced for facts and exhibits tendered.
The convict however told the court that he had worked with the complainant for 10 months, adding that the complainant paid N68,000 to balance up N132,000..
The convict however alleged that the complainant refused to pay him the balance, hence he carried his laptop and gave his friend to keep for him.
He added that his friend later gave the complainant the laptop.
The complainant however denied the allegation.
Earlier, the prosecutor, Police Inspector Sunday Lucky, told the court that the offence was committed on December 27, 2019 at Upper Ekenwan, Ugbiyokho, Benin City.
Lucky said that the convict stole an HP laptop valued N68,000, a property of Mr Jude Akehe.
The prosecutor said the offence contravened the provision of sections 390(9) of the Criminal Code Cap. 48 Vol. 11, Laws of the defunct Bendel State of Nigeria, 1976, now applicable in Edo.
