News / National
Girl steals same phone twice
20 Jun 2016 at 07:02hrs | Views
A 15-YEAR-OLD girl, who stole a cellphone from her neighbour and was caught, broke into the woman's house and stole the phone for a second time. The girl, who cannot be named because she is a minor, pleaded with Western Commonage magistrate Mr Abednico Ndebele to spare her the agony of jail life, when she appeared before him on Friday.
The juvenile pleaded guilty to a charge of unlawful entry and theft. Mr Ndebele scolded her for behaviour he said was unbecoming, especially for a girl. He said she was lucky that after assessing the facts of the matter, he had decided to give her a suspended sentence.
"I will not tell you your sentence now. It shall be wholly suspended on condition that you never appear in my court again for a similar offence. If you find yourself here again, you're surely going to prison," said Mr Ndebele. Prosecuting, Mr Stewart Madzore said on Tuesday the juvenile went into her neighbour's (name supplied) house while the woman was sweeping her yard.
"When the complainant went back into the house she realised that her son's books were scattered on the floor. The satchel that contained the books and her Samsung S4 cell phone were missing. She immediately suspected the accused because she had stolen the same cellphone before," said Mr Madzore.
"The complainant reported the matter to the police leading to the arrest of the accused as well as recovery of the stolen property." The juvenile apologised to her neighbour and to her father. She pleaded with the court to be lenient on her so she could go back to school.
Her father said he was worried about the change in his daughter's behaviour. "I really don't know what got into my daughter. She is brilliant at school but at times her behaviour puzzles me. Sometimes she spends nights out claiming she will be with her friends," said the father.
He claimed that he had been warned by the police not to beat her lest he be charged with child abuse. Mr Ndebele dismissed this claim saying even the Bible allows a parent to discipline a child.
"No law prohibits a parent from giving a mischievous child a disciplinary beating. The only reason for you to be arrested is if you bash her with a knobkerrie. Please just make sure that you keep her under check lest she serves a jail sentence," said Mr Ndebele.
The juvenile pleaded guilty to a charge of unlawful entry and theft. Mr Ndebele scolded her for behaviour he said was unbecoming, especially for a girl. He said she was lucky that after assessing the facts of the matter, he had decided to give her a suspended sentence.
"I will not tell you your sentence now. It shall be wholly suspended on condition that you never appear in my court again for a similar offence. If you find yourself here again, you're surely going to prison," said Mr Ndebele. Prosecuting, Mr Stewart Madzore said on Tuesday the juvenile went into her neighbour's (name supplied) house while the woman was sweeping her yard.
"When the complainant went back into the house she realised that her son's books were scattered on the floor. The satchel that contained the books and her Samsung S4 cell phone were missing. She immediately suspected the accused because she had stolen the same cellphone before," said Mr Madzore.
"The complainant reported the matter to the police leading to the arrest of the accused as well as recovery of the stolen property." The juvenile apologised to her neighbour and to her father. She pleaded with the court to be lenient on her so she could go back to school.
Her father said he was worried about the change in his daughter's behaviour. "I really don't know what got into my daughter. She is brilliant at school but at times her behaviour puzzles me. Sometimes she spends nights out claiming she will be with her friends," said the father.
He claimed that he had been warned by the police not to beat her lest he be charged with child abuse. Mr Ndebele dismissed this claim saying even the Bible allows a parent to discipline a child.
"No law prohibits a parent from giving a mischievous child a disciplinary beating. The only reason for you to be arrested is if you bash her with a knobkerrie. Please just make sure that you keep her under check lest she serves a jail sentence," said Mr Ndebele.
Source - chronicle
