Man charged with stealing from car inside police station
A 53-year-old man who partly vandalized a motor vehicle at Kilimani police station and stole its door switch has pleaded guilty to charges of theft.
While appearing before the Kibera Law Courts, James Mutua Kitheka admitted that he stole one right door switch valued at Sh40,000 from a Toyota Prado.
Mr Kitheka is accused of opening the car held at the station as an exhibit, in order to commit the theft on June 8, 2022. 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. He started monitoring the movements of the accused since cases of vandalism of vehicles have been rampant at the station.
The accused then approached the car, opened its doors and removed the switch which he kept in his pockets before he started walking towards the gate to leave the station. But then the attendant accosted him and escorted to the station’s report office where he was arrested and the stolen item recovered.
Mr Kitheka admitted the charges before Resident Magistrate Jaqueline Onjwang. However, his sentencing was delayed because the police had not brought the switch to court as an exhibit.
The case will be mentioned on Friday June 10, 2022 when the exhibit will be presented in court before the accused person is convicted and sentenced.