Septuagenarian Bags 2-week Community Service for Stealing Beverages

An Ikeja Magistrates’ Court on Thursday sentenced a septuagenarian, G. George, to two weeks community service for stealing beverages valued at N83,000.

The Magistrate, A.A Adesanya, handed down the sentence after 70-year-old George, a resident of No. 5, Gbobi St., Bariga, Lagos, pleaded guilty to a charge of stealing.

“You are sentenced to two weeks community service without an option of fine,” Adesanya said.

The prosecutor, Inspector George Nwosu, had told the court that the accused committed the offence in November 2015 at the Arena Shopping Complex in Bolade, Lagos.

He said that George stole beverages valued at N83,000, property of one Bukola Omoh.

Nwosu said that the accused came to the complainant’s shop pretending that he wanted to buy provisions when he committed the offence.

“The accused came and selected some items. He asked for another item which the complainant did not have and she quickly ran into the next shop to get it. But before the complainant could return, the accused ran away with the goods without paying for them,” he told the court.

The prosecutor said that the accused came again on May 13 and went to another shop to purchase some beverages.

“The accused came to buy beverages from another shop and from there, the complainant sighted and recognised him and invited the police to arrest him,” he said.

The offence, Nwosu said, contravened Section 285 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.