A 30-year-old man, Yusuf Kolawole, on Tuesday was sentenced to three months imprisonment or community service for stealing hair booster cream and oil with two tins of Titus fish in Osun Mall.
Yusuf was convicted by Osogbo Magistrate Court on one count of stealing after he admitted that he stole the items from the Osun Mall.
The police prosecutor, Inspector Olayiwola Rasaq, who tendered statements of the complainant and the convict, together with the items stolen to the court, also informed the magistrate that, “on March 14th, 2021, at about 7:15 PM at Osun Mall, Osogbo, Yusuf did steal two tin of Titus Sardine, one rubber of hair booster and Castor oil total value N2,630 and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 390 (9) of criminal code cap 34 Vol. Il laws of Osun State of Nigeria 2002.
The counsel for the convict, Dr R O Olayiwola, pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy on the convict, noting that he is remorseful of the crime he committed and a first time offender.
“I want to beg the court to sentence him to clear and clean the court premises instead of sending him to Ilesha Correctional Center.”
In the judgement of the presiding Magistrate, Mr Abayomi Ajala, said, “if the convict had stolen only food item, it would have been said that hunger made him do so, but with the inclusion of stealing hair booster, it shows that is was not hunger but covetousness.
“The convict is hereby sentenced to community service of cleaning this courtroom and three toilets of the court till the satisfaction of the registrar of the court who will supervise the cleaning. But if he could not do this, he should serve three months jail term in Ilesha Correctional Center.”
