Armed robber given 14-year jail sentence
Liwonde First Grade Magistrate Court on Friday convicted and sentenced a 44 year old man to 14 years imprisonment for robbery.
Police prosecutor, Sergeant Gift Kalamula told the court that during the night of 26 to 27 December last year, unknown robbers attacked a businessman, Daiton Maini at Kwepere Trading Center and robbed him of K170, 000.00 cash and 40 pieces of wrappers.
“The robbers hacked Maini with a panga knife on the forehead and on the leg. They also assaulted Maini’s wife on the head before finally hacking their four year old daughter on the right and left arms,” Khamula said.
He further said the robbers then fired a gun in the air, threatening people who wanted to rescue the victims.
He said when the matter was reported to Nselema Police Post, the law enforcers found three live ammunitions at the scene of crime.
He also said apart from this particular case, James Big Bitros had on several occasions been breaking into shops and stealing properties but was on the run.
Khamula said Police arrested Bitros in August, 2018 at a trading centre in Mangochi.
“He confessed to have robbed Maini together with his two friends who were already in prison for committing a similar case in Mangochi,” he said.
When he appeared before court, Bitros pleaded not guilty but First Grade Magistrate James Masula convicted Bitros to 14 years IHL as robbery was contrary to section 301 (2) of the penal code.
Bitros who is popularly known as ‘Big Arm’ comes from Nlungu Village in TA Nyambi in Machinga District.
14 years is way too soft. You should have charged him with 3 extra cases of attempted murder