An Area Court in Jos on Tuesday sentenced a 39-year old trader John Abalas to 12 months in prison for stealing laptop.
Abalas, was also charged with stealing phones, television set and N164, 50 cash from Hwolshe community.
The panel of two magistrates, Adam Sadiq and Hyacinth Dolnaan, who sentenced Abalas after he pleaded guilty to the charges gave him no option of fine.
They also ordered the convict to pay N237,450 as compensation to the complainant.
The magistrates said that the judgment would serve as deterrent to those who would want to indulge in the act.
Earlier, the prosecutor, Insp. Monday Dabit, told the court that the case was reported on Nov. 13, 2022 at the Anglo-Jos Police station by one Moses Ewuga, the complainant.
Dabit said: “Abalas went to the complainant’s house and stole his official laptop valued at N450,000, he also went to another house and stole a phone valued at N94,000.
” He stole another phone from another house valued at N35,000 and N16,450 cash”.
He said that in July of the same year, Abalas also trespassed into the house of one Pam Yusuf in the same community and stole his plasma television valued at N47,000.
The prosecutor said that all phones and television stolen by Abalas were sold to one Kelvin now at large.
“He was caught in the community with the laptop which was returned to the owner, but the other phones and television were already sold, ” the prosecutor said.
According to him, the offence is punishable under Section 273 of the Plateau Penal code.
NAN
