dyton mupawaendaProsper Dembedza
Herald Correspondent
A 23-year-old woman from Harare, Priscilla Gwasira, has been sentenced to 15 months in prison after being found guilty of stealing US$25 000 from her mother’s employer.
The ruling was made by Harare Magistrate Ms Lisa Mutendereki following a full trial.
Gwasira was jointly charged with 55-year-old Noah Defred and 53-year-old Beauty Ushendibaba, who were both acquitted.
The court ordered Gwasira to repay US$17 700 to the complainant, Ashleigh Kruger.
The magistrate noted that Gwasira’s accomplices were not implicated by CCTV footage, stating that verbal claims from the convict could not serve as evidence without supporting proof. Gwasira is Ushendibaba’s biological daughter.
According to the prosecution, last year on May 8, Kruger secured US$25 000 in a portable safe and placed it in her bedroom wardrobe.
Between that day and May 17, Gwasira, Defred, and Ushendibaba conspired to steal the money. It was alleged that Defred and Ushendibaba sneaked Gwasira into Kruger’s bedroom, where she took the cash box, and the trio subsequently shared the stolen money, unaware that their actions were captured on hidden CCTV cameras.
Kruger discovered the theft on June 9 when she checked the safe to access the funds. The incident was reported to Highlands Police Station, leading to Gwasira’s arrest on June 11 at her hideout in Chitungwiza.
During questioning, Gwasira implicated her mother and Defred.
Gwasira admitted to using part of the stolen funds to buy a motor vehicle, a headboard, a mattress, clothing, and a residential stand in Dema, where she had constructed a two-roomed house.
Police managed to recover only US$600 from her, while US$7,700 was retrieved from the other two individuals.
The magistrate ultimately sentenced Gwasira to 36 months in prison, with nine months suspended on the condition that she does not commit a similar offense in the future.
An additional 12 months were suspended on the condition that she pays restitution of US$17,700, resulting in an effective sentence of 15 months in prison.
