Barber jailed 14 years for burglary, stealing

A man named Joseph Babatunde has been sentenced to 14 years imprisonment by an Ondo State Chief Magistrate Court sitting in Akure, having been found guilty of committing another criminal offence.

Babatunde, the 20-year-old barber, was said to have been arrested by the men of the state police command after he reportedly broke into and stole a Toyota Hilux jeep engine valued at  N1m.

He also broke into a shop and stole 18 plastic chairs valued at N87,000, last week, at Araromi Street, Ijoka area of Akure. He was later charged to court and arraigned on four counts bordering on burglary and stealing.

According to the prosecution, the offence committed contravened Sections 516 and 390 (9) of the Criminal Code Law of Ondo State, 2016.  Babatunde pleaded guilty to the four counts.

In her ruling, the Chief Magistrate, Mrs C.M. Omole, held that the prosecution’s uncontradicted evidence corroborated the defendant’s admission of the crime. She found Babatunde guilty of all the counts he was charged with and consequently sentenced him accordingly.

She sentenced the convict to four years in jail with hard labour each on counts one, two, and three, and two years in jail for count four with an option of N180,000 fine.

The magistrate however ruled that the jail term of a total of 14 years should run concurrently.

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