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Fungai Jachi Court Correspondent
A Midlands State University student was yesterday ordered to perform 105 hours of community service after being convicted of defrauding Alpha Omega Dairy of $970 in a salary scam.

Twenty-one-year-old Tapiwa Nyoni, pleaded guilty to fraud charges when he appeared before Harare magistrate, Ms Nomsa Sabarauta.

He was sentenced to 12 months in jail before three months were suspended on condition he restitutes $970 to the complainant by March 31 this year.

The remaining months were suspended on condition Nyoni performs 105 hours of community service at the Harare Magistrate’s Court.

Nyoni, who was employed as a truck assistant, told the court that he committed the offence out of ignorance and was willing to restitute the complainant.

“I am just a chemical technology student at MSU and I plead for a non-custodial sentence. I kept on withdrawing the money with the impression that it was money that the company owed me,” he said.

Circumstances are that Nyoni resigned from work in July 2014.

Alpha Omega Dairy, however, continued to deposit his monthly salary of $242 into his CBZ bank account.

Nyoni continued to withdraw money from his account for four months and by December 5 he had withdrawn $970.88.

The company discovered the offence and reported the matter to the police leading to Nyoni’s arrest.

Meanwhile, in a different matter, a 36-year-old man pleaded guilty to stealing a 10 meter long copper cable at Prophetic Healing and Deliverance Ministries (PHD) in Waterfalls before the same magistrate.

Phillimon Gudo was remanded in custody to today for sentence.

The copper cable is valued at $170.

Facts are that on January 5 this year, Gudo unlawfully entered PHD premises and stole a 10 meter copper cable.

Security guards at the premise got a tip off from two men and they tracked down Gudo whom they found sitting on the cable beside Mukuvisi River.

Gudo admitted to the guards that he had stolen the cable and was taken to the police.

Mrs Devoted Gwashavanhu Nyagano prosecuted in both matters.