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Yemurai Ushamba, Court Reporter
A 32-YEAR-OLD man from Bulawayo has been sentenced to two years and seven months in prison for swindling three families of their laptops and cell phones with an estimated value of $1 540.

Moffart Sanje of Emakhandeni suburb misrepresented himself to the three families claiming that he had been sent by a member of the respective families to collect the items.

Sanje pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud and one count of theft when he appeared before Western Commonage magistrate, Ms Tancy Dube.

Ms Dube sentenced him to 24 months in prison on the first two counts and suspended four months on condition he does not commit the same offence within the next five years.

A further six months were suspended on condition that Sanje compensates the complainant in count one.

On count three he was sentenced to seven months in prison of which two months were suspended on condition of good behaviour. A further two months were suspended on condition that he compensates the complainant in count three.

Sanje will serve an effective one year five months in prison.

Sentencing him, Ms Dube said Sanje’s actions were not a mistake as he used the same method to defraud different people.

“When one takes someone’s belongings for the first time it could be a mistake but this was not a mistake,” she said.

The prosecutor, Ms Sibekithemba Dube said Sanje approached three different houses on the pretext that he was a relative.

“He would lie that he had been sent to collect cell phones and laptops and disappear with the gadgets,” she said.

The estimated value of the stolen laptops and cellphones is $1 540 and only a laptop, a Vodafone and a Samsung Galaxy trend cellphone worth $850 were recovered.—@YUshamba