Man, 53, admits stealing from car at Police station
A man who partly vandalized a motor vehicle detained at Kilimani police station and stole its door switch will serve a one year jail term or pay a fine of Sh100, 000 for the theft.
James Mutua Kitheka, 53, was handed the penalties by Resident Magistrate Jaqueline Onjwang of Kibera law courts.
Kitheka pleaded guilty to charges of theft of motor vehicle parts.
The convict admitted he stole one right door switch valued at Sh40, 000 from a Toyota Prado, the property of the republic of Kenya through the station.
Kitheka is accused of opening the car held at the station as an exhibit, in order to commit the theft on June 8.
He was apprehended by a breakdown attendant who saw him stealing the switch from the car parked outside traffic police offices.
The attendant had spotted Kitheka suspiciously walking around the police station and near the vehicle and started monitoring his movements since there has been rampant vandalism of vehicles at the station.
Kitheka went to the car and opened it and removed the switch which he put in his pockets before he started walking towards the gate to leave the station when the attendant accosted him.
He was escorted to the station’s report office where he was arrested and the switch recovered.
Kitheka admitted the charges before Onjwang where he was arraigned.
In mitigation, Kitheka said he had completed taking medication for tuberculosis but had not recovered and had to use herbal medicine to cure the same.
He said the herbal medicines made him confused unconsciously went to the station where he stole.
Kitheka claimed he was not in his right senses when he committed the offence.
He told Ms Onjwang that he is the firstborn in his family and his three children and his siblings are solely dependent on him.
He was appealing for a non-custodial sentence.