A Grade 1 Area Court, Dei-Dei, Abuja on Thursday sentenced a 35-year old carpenter, Monday Joshua, to 6 months imprisonment for defrauding his customer.
Joshua, of Sokale Dutse Alhaji, Abuja, was sentenced on a two-count charge of breach of trust and cheating. The Area Court judge, Sulyman Ola however, gave him an option of N20,000 fine and ordered him to pay N40,000 as compensation to the complainant.
Ola said that the punishment would have been stiffer if the convict had not saved the court the rigour of protracted prosecution. He also warned the convict to be of good behaviour.
Joshua had earlier pleaded guilty and begged the court for leniency.
The prosecutor Mr Olaonipekun Babajide had told the court that on Feb. 11, the complainant, Oji Sunday of Zone 4 Islamia Dutse Alhaji, Abuja, reported the matter at Dutse Police Station.
Babajide said that sometime in January, the complainant gave the convict N 40,000 to construct a cabinet bed for him. He told the court that after the convict collected the money he promised the complainant that he would deliver the job on Jan. 29.
Babajide said the convict dishonestly refused to construct the bed as he promised and converted the money to his personal use. The prosecutor added that during police investigation, the convict made a confessional statement but, all efforts made to recover the money proved abortive.
