The ManicaPost
Tendai Gukutikwa Court Correspondent
A MUTARE taxi driver was this week sentenced to 36 months imprisonment for attacking a passenger and robbing him of cellphone worth $90.
Blessing Nenohwe (28) was convicted of robbery when he appeared before Mutare provincial magistrate, Mr Tendai Mabwe, while Mr Fletcher Karombe prosecuted.
After sentencing him, Nenohwe begged the court to review the sentence claiming that he was a tuberculosis patient and was not sure if he would make it out of prison alive.
This prompted Mr Mabwe to advise him to seek a review or make an appeal to The High Court, stating that the magistrates’ court’s decision is only reversed by the High Court.
“You should have said all that in mitigation before the court had sentenced you, but you did not. Sadly, once this court delivered its verdict, it cannot reverse it. All you can do is to appeal to the High Court for a review,” he said.
Nenohwe, however, will serve an effective 24 months in prison after six months were wholly suspended for five years on condition of good behaviour.
A further six months were also suspended on condition that he restitutes the complainant $90. In sentencing him, Mr Mabwe, said robbery cases were prevalent, therefore becoming a cause for concern.
He said a deterrent custodial sentence was called for to send a clear warning to would be offenders and also rehabilitates convicts like Nenohwe.
Mr Karombe said Andrew Chairuka boarded Nenohwe’s taxi from Penhalonga to Mutare Provincial Hospital.
Chairuka, however, told Nenohwe that he would pay using an Eco-Cash transfer.
When they got to Chairuka’s destination, his phone switched off. Nenohwe drove him past his destination as a form of punishment.
He dropped him off at Sakubva Beit Hall where he withdrew a knife and instructed Chairuka to surrender his phone, a Nokia Lumia and his pair of shoes.
After robbing the complainant, Nenohwe drove off, leaving him in Sakubva.
The value stolen is $90 and nothing was recovered.
