Man convicted for stealing a motor vehicle

It would be recalled that on the last adjournment date, the prosecuting officer, Sgt Kinteh, applied for an adjournment for him to provide the court with the accused’s previous conviction record.

When the case was called on Monday, Sgt Kinteh informed the court that the convict had suffered three conviction terms and they searched for the record but they could not locate them.

Magistrate Abeke then told the court that since the prosecution could not provide the court with the previous conviction files of the accused person, he would record as a first-time offender.

In his plea of mitigation, the convicted person begged the court for forgiveness, saying he was the only son of his mother and breadwinner of the family.

He was consequently convicted and sentenced on count one to a fine of D20,000 in default to serve three years in prison, and on count two, he was fined D10,000 in default to serve one year, six months in prison.

The convict was also ordered to compensate the complainant with D20,000, in default to serve two years in prison.

According to the particulars of offence on count one, the convict, Cherno Mballow, on 14 March 2013, at Serekunda, in the Kanifing Municipality, stole a motor vehicle with registration number BJL 9270H Benz 190 green in colour valued at D170,000, the property of one Alagie Touray.

Count two indicated that on the same date, place and year, he stole from the said vehicle the following items: car tape valued at D2,500, spare tyre valued at D1,200, wheel cover valued at D800, seat cushion valued at D800, car jack valued at D600, jack mass valued at D150 and cash of D1,500, all being the property of the said Alagie Touray.