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A prison inmate who escaped from where he was attached has been sentenced to effectively serve four months behind bars.
Aleck Jack (19) appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Evia Matura facing a charge of escaping from lawful custody as defined in Section 187(1) (b) of the Criminal Law Codification and Reform Act.
After a full trial he was convicted and sentenced. The magistrate slapped Jack with a six-month jail term. However, two months were suspended on condition that he does not commit a similar offence within a period of five years.
In arriving at the sentence the magistrate said Jack was a dangerous criminal because he escaped from lawful custody and locking him up in prison would make him reform and also send a message to like-minded people.
On a date not known to the prosecutor but sometime in September this year the court heard that Aleck Jack (19) who was about to finish serving an assault sentence was attached to work at a company that manufactures bricks which is situated in Bulawayo’s Cement Siding suburb.
When his supervisor sent him to collect some items from the offices, Jack decided to escape. On the same day in the evening when prison wardens were conducting a roll call they discovered that Jack had escaped and thereafter a manhunt was launched, the court heard.
However, his luck ran out as he was caught boozing at a drinking spot in Figtree, Matabeleland South province leading to his arrest, the court heard.
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