Two juveniles in court for theft

TWO teenagers from Redcliff town were last week dragged before the magistrate's court for stealing two pieces of metal sheets worth $2 000 from a local engineering company.
The two, both 16 years old, were found guilty of theft as defined in section 113 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform Act) chapter 9.23.
Kwekwe magistrate, Mr Taurai Manwere, sentenced them to three months each which were wholly suspended for five years on condition that the two do not commit a similar offence.
For the State Ms Vimbai Chinoda  told the court that sometime in November this year, the two teenagers sneaked into premises belonging to Zeco, an engineering company based in Redcliff town, and stole two sheets of metal.
The two escaped unnoticed.
Ms Chinoda further told the court that the two teenagers hid one of the metal sheets in a bush and took the other one which they sold to one James Mazambezi for $80.
Two police officers, who witnessed the teenagers' transaction with Mazambezi, became suspicious and quizzed the boys on where they got the sheet.
The two were arrested after failing to give a satisfactory explanation.
In their defence, the two boys said they had been sent to sell the sheets by a certain man whom they said was called Ponda.
They said they met Ponda who gave them the metal sheets while they were going to fetch firewood and did not know that the sheets had been stolen.
Mr Manwere however, dismissed their defence saying the fact that they were caught with stolen property makes them criminally liable.
In passing sentence, Mr Manwere took into account that the juveniles were first offenders.