A Grade I Area Court in Dei-Dei, Abuja, on Thursday sentenced a 25-year-old trader, Muhammed Sarajo, to nine months’ imprisonment for snatching a cell phone valued N85,000.

Sarajo pleaded guilty to the conspiracy and theft and begged for leniency.

The judge, Malam Sulyman Ola, gave the convict an option to pay a fine of N30,000 and ordered him to pay N85, 000 compensation to the complainant.

He warned the convict to be a law abiding citizen.

Earlier, the prosecution counsel, Mr Chinedu Ogada, told the court that the complainant, Aliyu Salisu, reported the matter at the Dei-Dei Police station on February 26.

Ogada said on February 25 at 2.00 p.m., the convict and one other now at large, criminally conspired and intentionally attacked the complainant with scissors.

He told the court that the convict snatched his Tecno phone valued at N85,000 and escaped to an unknown destination but resurfaced days after, and was apprehended and handed over to the police.

The prosecutor said the convict made a confessional statement during police investigation.

The convict told the police that the suspect sold the phone to one Mama Fatima who resides at Apiyawe.

The prosecutor said all efforts to recover the said phone proved abortive, and the offences contravened sections 97 and 288 of the Penal Code.

-NAN