A 27 year old man of Katete District has been sentenced to five years imprisonment with hard labour for stealing six cows.
Appearing before Katete Magistrate Mary Musongole was David Banda a taxi driver of Ibex Compound.
Facts before court were that David on 27 January 2015 jointly and whilst acting together with his friend Innocent Banda stole 1 cow and four oxen, all belonging to John Mbewe valued at 15, 500 Kwacha.
On the same day, he stole another cow belonging to Joshua Phiri valued at 1,350 Kwacha.
Banda who stood charged with two counts of stock theft is alleged to have gone to a witch doctor to seek charms to help him in stealing.
According to his friend Innocent, who was earlier in February this year sentenced to five years imprisonment, David spent a night at the witchdoctors’ house before they went to steal cattle the following morning.
In his mitigation David pleaded with court to be lenient has he was taking care of his blind grandmother and orphans.
But Magistrate Musongole said David had wasted courts time by denying the charges when he knew that the evidence against him was overwhelming.