Peter Calistus, a 32-year-old cleaner, was given an eight-month prison term for stealing a laptop bag on Monday by a Dei-Dei Grade I Area Court in Abuja.
Calistus, who is a resident of Gwarinpa village in Abuja, pled guilty to two counts of criminal trespass and theft and pleaded with the judge to be forgiving.
However, the offender was given the option of paying an N40,000 fine and was given a warning by the judge, Mr. Sulyman Ola, to stop committing offences.
The complainant, Ohanatu Sandra of Brick City Estate, Kubwa, reported the incident to the Gwarinpa Police Station on August 3, according to earlier testimony from the prosecution's attorney, Mr. Chinedu Ogada.
Ogada said that at about 2:20 p.m the convict criminally trespassed into the complainant’s office where she works as a lab scientist and stole her laptop bag containing four laptops valued N280,000, ring valued N 80,000 and N300, 000 cash.
The prosecutor said that during police investigation, the bags was recovered from the convict but he could not give a satisfactory account of his actions.
He said the offence contravened Sections 348 and 288 of the Penal Code.