THE Mpanda Primary Court in Katavi Region has sentenced two villagers of Misunkumilo Ward to three-month suspended punishment for stealing one chicken.

However, one of them paid a fine and was released, while his co-accused failed to pay a fine and the court sentenced him to serve two-month suspended sentence.

Delivering the verdict, the trial magistrate said the accused had committed the offence against Section 265 of the Penal Code (Cap 16, R.E 2019). The accused pleaded guilty to the offence as they had stolen a chicken worth 15,000/-, being the property of their father-in-law.

It is alleged that after stealing the chicken, the accused persons plunked its feathers and left them in front of their father-in-law's house.

The accused, Chrispine Peter and Richard Elias, appeared on Monday before Trial Magistrate David Mbembela and subsequently pleaded guilty to the offence.

They agreed before the court that the feathers presented at the court as exhibit by their father-in-law Meshack Cyprian were of the chicken they had stolen from him.

Peter was sentenced either to serve one-month suspended sentence or to pay a fine of 30,000/-. He paid the fine and was released, while Elias is serving the two-month suspended sentence. Two court assessors supported the verdict.

Earlier, it was charged before the court that the accused committed the offence on January 8, this year, at 17:00pm at Kampuni in Misunkumilo Ward.

In mitigation, Peter prayed for a lenient sentence, saying he was the first offender and had extended family and a wife with four children who were his dependants.

For his part, Elias prayed for mercy as his right hand had been paralysed.