Lusaka magistrate Felix Kaoma has sentenced a 26-year-old woman to five years imprisonment for stealing a five-month old baby.

In this case, Monica Mutale of John Laing was accused of stealing the baby from its mother Lydia Mukombola by presenting herself as a Good Samaritan.

Facts before the court were that Mukombola was selling chips to patrons at a bar when Mutale offered to babysit on September 7, 2017.

Mutale however went away with the baby but her neighbors reported her to the police station after suspecting her of having stolen the baby.

According to her neighbors, Mutale lied that the baby was two weeks old when his looks proved otherwise and he was crying uncontrollably.

Handing down his sentence yesterday, Magistrate Kaoma said the prosecution had proved the case of child stealing against Mutale beyond reasonable doubt.

The court said considering the age of the child, the offense was so aggravating.

He said was moral wickedness to take another woman’s child fraudulently.