News / National
8 years for stealing cop's pistol
12 Jul 2012 at 18:42hrs | Views
A robber who stole a service pistol from a sleeping senior police officer has been jailed for eight years for unlawful entry.
Harare magistrate Mr Tendai Mahwe sentenced Louis Muchemwa to 10 years of which two years were suspended on condition of good behaviour.
The complainant in the matter was Superintendent Wonder Mavhudzi, who is employed by the Zimbabwe Republic Police as the district criminal intelligence officer for Matebeleland South.
Prosecutor Ms Memory Mukapa proved that on October 30 last year at around 23.00hr Muchemwa went to Supt Mavhudzi's house and jumped over the security wall.
Muchemwa gained entrance into the house after opening the dining room door which was closed, but not locked.
Upon entry, he realised that Supt Mavhudzi was fast asleep on the sofa and on the small table in front of him was his CZ pistol loaded with 15 rounds of ammunition, an HTC cellphone, a Samsung V360 cellphone and a wallet containing his police ID.
Mr Mukapa said Muchemwa stole the phones and the pistol and escaped unnoticed.
Muchemwa later gave the firearm to his friend Itai Motsi, a well-known armed robber, who teamed up with four others and committed a spate of armed robberies in and around Harare using the stolen firearm.
He sold the HTC cellphone to Aaron Jaji for US$40. Motsi led detectives to the arrest of Muchemwa, who led detectives to Supt Mavhudzi's house in Bulawayo on his own volition.
The Samsung cellphone was recovered and the total value of property stolen was US$975.
Harare magistrate Mr Tendai Mahwe sentenced Louis Muchemwa to 10 years of which two years were suspended on condition of good behaviour.
The complainant in the matter was Superintendent Wonder Mavhudzi, who is employed by the Zimbabwe Republic Police as the district criminal intelligence officer for Matebeleland South.
Prosecutor Ms Memory Mukapa proved that on October 30 last year at around 23.00hr Muchemwa went to Supt Mavhudzi's house and jumped over the security wall.
Muchemwa gained entrance into the house after opening the dining room door which was closed, but not locked.
Upon entry, he realised that Supt Mavhudzi was fast asleep on the sofa and on the small table in front of him was his CZ pistol loaded with 15 rounds of ammunition, an HTC cellphone, a Samsung V360 cellphone and a wallet containing his police ID.
Mr Mukapa said Muchemwa stole the phones and the pistol and escaped unnoticed.
Muchemwa later gave the firearm to his friend Itai Motsi, a well-known armed robber, who teamed up with four others and committed a spate of armed robberies in and around Harare using the stolen firearm.
He sold the HTC cellphone to Aaron Jaji for US$40. Motsi led detectives to the arrest of Muchemwa, who led detectives to Supt Mavhudzi's house in Bulawayo on his own volition.
The Samsung cellphone was recovered and the total value of property stolen was US$975.
Source - TH
