A 42-year-old maid has been sentenced to four years imprisonment for stealing household goods from her employer worth K100,000.
When the matter came up yesterday, Lusaka magistrate Nthandose Chabala convicted Brenda Phiri after she admitted hiring a Mistubishi canter to transport the stolen property to her house in Garden Compound.
Brenda was facing two counts of theft as she first stole on February 28, 2016 two television sets, one Sumsung home theatre, a carpet, Toshiba laptop and an LG microwave altogether valued at K25,000.
The incident happened when the complainant was at church.
In the second count, Brenda, on September 14,2017, being a person employed as a maid, stole one seat of lounge suit, fridge, washing machine, plasma tv set, freezit making machine,a cctv recorder,8 pairs of mens shoes and a suitcase altogether valued at K75,000.00 which came into her possession by virtue of her employment,the property of Leevani Like.
The convict, who pleaded for the court’s mercy, however said she had no justification for her actions.
In handing down the sentence, magistrate Chabala said the convict’s action to her employer was so aggravating.
The court ordered that the recovered goods be taken back to the rightful owner after 14 days.
Earlier, a public prosecutor read out the facts in which he stated that the complainant received a call from his neighbors that criminals had broken into her house and later raped the maid.
After police officers from Chelstone police station instituted the investigations into the matter, a canter was impounded in Kaunda Square Stage one together with the driver and its occupants.
After questioning the suspects, they revealed that Brenda hired them to transport the goods to her house in Garden saying her husband had died.