A 15-YEAR-OLD boy from Nkulumane high-density suburb in Bulawayo, has been sentenced to three years confinement at Whawha Training Centre after being convicted of stealing a motor vehicle and driving without a licence.
The boy appeared before Bulawayo regional magistrate Mark Dzira facing a count of theft of a motor vehicle and that of driving without a licence.
In sentencing the boy, Dzira described the offence as serious.
“You have committed a serious offence of stealing a car and prison life is not easy. If you do not change your ways, you will destroy your future,” he said.
The magistrate said the boy should be grateful to his elder sister, who took him in after the death of their parents.
The court observed that although the sister had shown him love and provided care, the boy chose to repay her with disrespect and a string of thefts both at home and in the community.
Dzira said motor vehicle theft was usually associated with hardened criminals, adding that it was worrying that such an offence was committed by a young person.
He said the sentence was meant to correct and rehabilitate not to punish.
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The magistrate said spending three years at Whawha Training Centre, a rehabilitation facility for juveniles, would give the boy a chance to change his behaviour and build a better future.For the first count, the court heard that on September 15 this year, Loyd Mashamba (37) parked his Honda Fit vehicle at Cooland Day and Night Car Park in Nkulumane 12.
He locked the vehicle and went home with the keys.
When he returned the next morning, the car was missing and the matter was reported to the police.
On the second count, the boy drove the stolen vehicle to Manemo shopping centre, despite knowing that he was not a holder of a driver’s licence.
The car, valued at US$3 500, was later recovered.
