There was a mild drama in a Badagry Chief Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, as a nominal complainant, Mr James Bassey, broke down in tears to beg for leniency for a drycleaner, Pius Savoir, sentenced to one month for stealing a pressing iron and N20,000.
Chief Magistrate Patrick Adekomaiya sentenced Savior, following his guilty plea and presentation of the facts of the case.
The chief magistrate in sentencing the convict, held that as a first offender, the court will be lenient.
Adekomaiya thereby sentenced Savior to one month imprisonment, to spend seven days in prison and the remaining three weeks in Morogbo Police Station, where he would be reporting daily for community service.
Immediately after the sentence, Bassey burst into tears and pleadied that the convict should be pardoned.
“My Lord, I don’t have wife or children, it is this convict that always takes care of me.
“He used to help me to do all my domestic work and massage me, but the habit of stealing my things is too much, that is why I reported him when he stole my money and pressing iron.
“If you sentence to prison now, nobody will be assisting me and this could lead to my death,” he said.
Earlier, the Prosecution Counsel, ASP Ikem Uko told the court that the convict committed the offence on July 6 at about 7.00.p.m. at Yeponnawa Str. Church-Gate, Lagos.
He said that the convict stole a pressing iron and N20,000, property of Bassey, the complainant.
The prosecutor said that the offence contravened the provisions of Section 287 of the Criminal Law of Lagos, 2015. (NAN)