Lusaka Magistrate Brian Simachele has slapped a 23-year-old man of Lusaka’s Chipata compound who stole underwear from Shorprite Zambia Limited valued K79.99 with a six months imprisonment with hard labour sentence.

Particulars of the offence in this matter were Brian Bwalya, unemployed, on August 14, 2018 stole three underwear from Shoprite Zambia Limited valued at K79.99.

Brief facts in this matter are that on August 14, 2018, Enock Sakala, the security manager at Shorprite Waterfalls branch, during his routine checkups around the premises, came across an empty pack of men’s underwear pants and Bwalya, who was nearby, looked suspicious.

A body search was conducted on him and he was found with three underwear which he had hidden in his boxer short which he was putting on.

The underwear were then recovered and Bwalya was arrested and charged with an offense of theft which he readily admitted saying he did not have any undergarments.

When the matter came up for sentencing, Bwalya asked God to forgive him in his mitigation

This was after the court found him quilty of stealing the underwear.

In sentencing, magistrate Simachele slapped Bwalya with a jail term of six months with hard labour.

He said the offence Bwalya committed attracted a maximum sentence of five years but he exercised his maximum liniency on him because he did not waste the courts time by admitting to the charge.

He said it was an undeniable fact that Bwalya stole the underwear with the purpose of wearing them.