Court orders man to clean Catholic church as punishment for theft

A Grade 1 Area Court in Abuja on Monday sentenced a 28-year-old driver, Samuel Vincent, to two weeks Community Service for stealing a bag containing children’s clothes.

The Judge, Alhaji Inuwa Maiwada, ordered Vincent to clean the Karmo Catholic Church for two weeks and ordered him to go back to Anambra after serving his punishment.

Maiwada warned the convict to desist from crime.

He said the convict’s plea saved the court the pains of prolonged prosecution, adding that the sentence would serve as a deterrent to others.

Vincent, who is from Onitsha in Anambra, had pleaded guilty to a count of stealing and prayed the court for leniency.

The prosecution, Mrs Ijeoma Ukagha, told the court that on Dec. 21, 2019 one Chief Uwaoma Egwuonwu of Jabi Park, Abuja, reported the matter at the Utako Police Station for proper investigation.

Ukagha said Vincent stole a bag of children’s clothes worth N500, 000 sent to one Gladys Ugochukwu of Mararaba, Nassrawa State from Onisha through waybill.

She told the court that Egwuonwu caught the convict as he was about leaving the park with the stolen items.

Ukagha said that during police investigation, Vincent confessed that he followed the luxury bus carrying the bag from Onisha to Abuja with the intention to steal the items.

The prosecutor said that the offence contravened the provisions of Section 287 of the Penal Code.