UZ graduate gets 5-yrs in jail for robbing a taxi driver

A man who recently graduated with an accounting degree from the University of Zimbabwe was yesterday sentenced to five years after he pleaded guilty to robbing a taxi driver.

Regional magistrate Mr Adonia Masawi sentenced Stephen Nyapokoto to eight years in prison but suspended three years on condition of good behaviour.

In passing sentence, Mr Masawi said Nyapokoto committed a serious offence which called for a stiffer penalty.

In aggravation, prosecutor Mr Liberty Gono said: "If people are allowed to live their lives the way the accused person wants to live his, then the society will not have peace and the courts must put a stop to that.

"The accused is a graduate and he is able-bodied, therefore, his actions show that he is just lazy. He needs to be taught that crime does not pay."

Nyapokoto pleaded for the court's lenience during mitigation, saying that he only wanted to use the car to get some cash and return it to its owner.

The court heard that last Friday, Nyapokoto went to Manresa shops in Mabvuku armed with a kitchen knife and approached Lloyd Paza who was parked by the shops waiting for passengers.

Nyapokoto  lied that he wanted to be taken to Silveira House  where he wanted to pick up his sick mother. 

He got into the vehicle and occupied the front passenger seat and along the way he produced the knife and threatened to stab Paza. Nyapokoto forced Paza to drive  into a bushy area where he later robbed him of the car, cash and mobile phone after tying his hands.

Paza later managed to set himself free and rushed to Lafarge Cement firm where he  contacted the owner of the vehicle, Tafadzwa Masendeke, who managed to locate the vehicle through the tracking system.

Nyapokoto was arrested in Chitungwiza ferrying passengers using the vehicle.