Pademba Road Court Sentences Man to 3 Years for Stealing Generator Equipment from Finance Ministry
Kanja Sesay A Freetown magistrate has sentenced Alpha Umaru Newland to 36 months in prison after finding him guilty of stealing and damaging generator equipment belonging to Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Finance.
Magistrate John Manso Fornah, presiding over Pademba Road Magistrate Court No. 2, sentenced Newland to three years for larceny and a further 18 months for malicious damage. The two sentences will run concurrently, meaning he will serve a maximum of three years at the Male Correctional Centre.
According to court records, the incident occurred on March 23 at the Ministry of Finance on George Street in Freetown.
Newland was found to have stolen a generator control-system copper cable valued at Le137,000 and two 100-amp batteries valued at Le4,500 each.
The total value of the stolen items was put at Le146,000.
He was charged with larceny under Section 2 of the Larceny Act of 1916 and malicious damage under Section 51 of the Malicious Damage Act of 1861. The malicious damage charge related to the unlawful damage caused to the copper cable during the theft.
In determining the sentence, Magistrate Fornah took into consideration that Newland was a first-time offender and had pleaded with the court for leniency.
The magistrate also ordered that the period Newland had already spent in custody be deducted from his prison term.
With the sentences running concurrently, Newland will serve the three-year term imposed for larceny, subject to the credit for time already spent in detention.