A Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Gwagwalada, on Thursday, sentenced a 21-year-old student, Adakole Peter to one-year imprisonment for swindling a Chinese woman of 50 dollars.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), had arraigned the convict on two counts of cheating by impersonation and pretending to be a military personnel. He pleaded guilty to the charges and begged the court for leniency.
Delivering judgment, Justice Aliyu Shafa, also gave him an option of a fine of ₦150,000. Shafa ordered the convict to depose to an affidavit of good behaviour, adding that the Redmi cellphone being the instrument used for the crime be sold and, the proceeds deposited in the Federal Government’s account through the EFCC.
He also ordered that the 50 dollars recovered from the convict be paid into the account of the Federal Government. Earlier, the convict in his plea for mercy promised the court that he had realised his mistake and would not repeat such again.
“I have repented and realised my mistakes, I plead with the court to temper justice with mercy”, he pleaded.
The Defence Counsel, Bridget Abang in support of the allocated by the convict pleaded with the court to tamper justice with mercy. Abang pleaded with the court to consider the plea of the convict and his age, adding that he was a first-time offender.
The Prosecution Counsel, I.D Iloakasia, told the court that the convict and his counsel had entered and signed a plea bargain on June 10. Iloakasia said that the convict between April and May within the jurisdiction of the court deceived his victim while pretending to be Steve M. Marks a military personnel.
He said the convict carried out an illegal act in which he induced one Ruth Novick, a Chinese citizen to deliver to him the sum of 50 dollars worth of gift cards. He said that the convict sold it via the Internet for the sum of ₦20,000.
The prosecutor said the offence contravened the provision of Section 321 of the Penal Code Act, Laws of the Federation Abuja, 1990 and was punishable under Section 324 of the same Act. The prosecutor had earlier prayed to the court that the money and instrument recovered from the convict be forfeited to the Federal Government through the EFCC.