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Tendai Rupapa Senior Court Reporter
The Form Four pupil, who hired a taxi before stealing the vehicle after the driver disembarked to look for change, has been sentenced to three years in jail.

Last Friday, 19-year-old Shepherd Kapita wept uncontrollably in court saying he had lied that he was a Churchill Boys High pupil when in fact he attended Rusike Secondary School in Goromonzi.

Before sentencing, he pleaded for the court’s leniency, adding that he did not want his mother to know about the case since she had a heart problem.

However, in passing the sentence, magistrate Ms Bianca Makwande said even though Kapita was a first offender, the court was left with no option but to send him to jail because of the seriousness of the offence.

She said she took into consideration that Kapita lied to the court when he was initially brought before her.

Of the three years, Ms Makwande suspended one year on condition of good behaviour and effected two years.

She added that she suspended part of the jail term after considering that Kapita was a youthful offender.

On Friday Kapita apologised to the court for lying.

“I am sorry, Your Worship for lying. Please do not tell my mother about this. She might die of shock since she has heart problems. That is the reason why I gave false information to the court because I did not want this to get to my mother,” he said while wiping off tears.

On January 3, Privilege Musekiwa was approached by Kapita who hired him on the pretext that he intended to see his girlfriend in the Avenues. On arrival at the said block of flats, Kapita asked Musekiwa to wait for him while he went upstairs.

He came back and ordered Musekiwa to proceed to Fife Avenue Shopping Centre, saying he wanted to buy food so that he could get some change.

Kapita gave Musekiwa $10 and asked him to go and buy him a drink and get his $3 fare. When he returned, his vehicle and Kapita were nowhere to be seen.