A 29-YEAR-OLD Harare man was on Tuesday slapped with a 16-year jail term after he was convicted of stealing TelOne communication copper cables in Msasa Park recently.
Innocent Maruta was apprehended following a citizens’ arrest by members of the Msasa Park community.
Prosecutor Shepherd Kudzanayi Makonde told the court that on November 2 this year, Maruta was spotted by Memory Mandipa while cutting and stealing TelOne copper cables in the neighbourhood.
Mandipa notified other members of the community and they grouped up before arresting Maruta, whom they handed over to the Msasa Park Police Station.
At the police station, Maruta was searched and found with copper cables which he admitted to have stolen from a Msasa Park TelOne line.
Detectives from the Criminal Investigations Department Harare attended the scene in the company of TelOne loss control officer Rodger Gwenjere, who positively identified the cables.
The recovered copper cables weighed 1kg with a value of US$150 and were produced in court as evidence.
Maruta was charged and found guilty on three counts of theft, contravening the Postal and Telecommunications Act as well as Section 10 of the Copper Control Act which criminalises the possession of copper without a licence.