A desperate practising primary teacher at Rusangu University has been sentenced to one year imprisonment with hard labour by the Kitwe Magistrate Court for stealing Energizer batteries from Shoprite checkers at Mukuba Mall.

Alex Mwansa told Senior Resident Magistrate Mwansa Chibalo that he resorted to stealing three packs of batteries after he failed to raise K150 for his assignments.

Mwansa told the court that he was desperate to have his school assignments done on time and that he did not have money to use when working on them.

Mwansa explained that he stole the batteries with the aim of selling them to raise the money he needed.

He, however, told court that he failed to sell the batteries as he was later apprehended by a Shoprite security guard.

This is a case in which Mwansa was charged with theft, contrary to the laws of Zambia.

Particulars of the offence were that on November 22, 2018, in Kitwe Mwansa stole three packs of Energizer batteries valued at K209.97, the property of Shoprite, Kitwe.

And when the matter came up for plea, the accused person pleaded guilty to the offence.

And Magistrate Chibalo said upon the accused person’s own admission of the offence, he had found him guilty as charged, and was convicting him accordingly and put him on his mitigation.

In mitigation, the accused person begged for the court’s leniency as his academic and professional career were going to be put on hold if imprisoned.

But Magistrate Chibalo said he was sentencing him to one year with hard labour, and that if he was not happy with the sentence he had a right to appeal in 14 days.