Man to spend seven years in prison for attempting to sneak bhang in court

Murang’a, Thursday, April 20, 2023

K.N.A By Bernard Munyao

A 38-year old man was sentenced to serve seven years’ imprisonment by a Kangema court after he admitted attempting to sneak with bhang in the court premises.

Gerald Mathu Wanjiru was accused that on March 23, at the gate of Kangema law courts, he attempted to sneak in 65 rolls of bhang of street value of Sh. 3,250, a mobile phone and USB cable.

The accused further faced a second count of resisting arrest by police officers who were on their due execution of their duties.

The facts tabled before the court by the prosecution indicated that police officers who were manning the gate spotted something protruding at the side of the accused jacket.

After requesting him to voluntarily remove what was in his jacket, the accused ran away but the police officers managed to get him about 100 metres from the court's gate.

Upon searching, the bhang and the phone were found wrapped in a polythene paper and after interrogation, it was revealed the accused was on mission to handover the narcotic substance and the phone to a suspect who appeared in the court from remand for case hearing.

Statement by police officers indicated the accused resisted to be arrested saying he was not aware whether there was bhang in his pockets.

The accused pleaded guilty to the facts presented t before Principal Magistrate Irene Gichobi.

In his mitigation, the Mathu pleaded to be committed in non-custodial sentence saying he was a widower and has three children he provides for.

He promised to reform and be a better person in the community pleading to be given a second chance.

The prosecution asked the court to treat Mathu as a first offender but prayed the accused to be served with a severe sentence to act as deterrence.

Considering the submissions by the prosecution and that of the accused, the magistrate said “I met an extremely bold and daring man. A man who without any fear or callow of right, brings with him and in his possession to court premises narcotic drugs.”

She added that “However, some dares and boldness are very costly. If the accused can boldly bring with his possession narcotic drugs to court, what about the outside world?”

The magistrate said the act by the accused was a breach of the law at the highest, an offense the court cannot tolerate or take it lightly.

“Bhang has a widespread negative effect on the population and circumstances surrounding commission of the offense are extremely unfortunate.

“It’s clear to me that the accused has no regard to the law and there is need for a punitive deterrence sentence,” stated the magistrate.

In the first count, the accused was sentenced for five years, with court convicting him to serve two years’ imprisonment in the second count. Terms of the imprisonment will run concurrently.

Courtesy K.N.A