3rd Year College Of Medicine Student Sentenced To 3 Years IHL For Breaking ICT Compus Office

He stole two sets of HP computers and one Central Processing unit (CPU).

This was happening while students were preparing to go for holidays.

Management at the higher learning institution discovered that computers were missing in the ICT library after students had gone on holiday.

When they checked through their security cameras, it was revealed that Mtendere Gwanda was the one who broke into the office and stole the said items.

Authorities at the College did not inform him about this until when students were back from holidays.

He was then invited and asked about the breaking.

After being shown what was seen on security cameras, he confessed to have been behind the heinous act. He was then reported to Blantyre Police on August 30, 2019.

The police locked him up and was charged with the above offence which he voluntarily accepted.

Appearing before court, the accused was found guilty upon his own plea of guilty.

In his submissions, police prosecutor Sub-Inspector Justice Manolo prayed for the court to impose a stiffer punishment to the accused considering that he had stolen government property whose aim is to assist alot of students access tertiary education.

Manolo said the act by the accused has deprived many innocent students within the compus and those to come in future their opportunity to have access to the stolen computers as there was no recovery made.

In mitigations, the accused pleaded with the court to exercise leniency on him saying he committed the offence because he impregnated a fellow college student at the compus and wanted to support the pregnancy.

Passing the sentence, First Grade Magistrate Tsoka Banda agreed with the state and slapped Gwanda with 3 years imprisonment with hard labour saying this should save as a warning to those intending to commit similar offences in future.

Mtendere Gwanda 23, hails from Malonje village traditional authority Malemia in Zomba.