TWO Mbire men who snared and killed a lioness and a warthog worth US$22 000 in Mushumbi Pools were on Friday last week jailed to 17 months each by Guruve magistrate Shingirai Mutiro.

BY SIMBARASHE SITHOLE

Clement Hwata (22) and Lameck Kataura (20) both from Chiwapura Village, Mushumbi Pools had 12 months of their sentences set aside on condition that they pay US$22 000 restitution to Angwa Safari, while the remaining five months were also suspended on condition that they pay a fine of $500 to the State.

Prosecutor Carson Kundiona told the court that on October 31, game rangers were on patrol at Angwa Safari in Mushumbi Pools when they saw some footprints which led to the convicts’ home.

The duo was found in possession of 15kg of dried warthog meat and confessed that they had killed it with a snare.

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They were then arrested and taken to their trap, where the rangers discovered that the wire snare had also killed a lioness.

In another case, a Bindura burglar will serve seven months behind bars for breaking into two shops at Chipadze shopping centre in the farming town and stealing goods worth $24 000.

Lazarus Chakungama (23) appeared before Bindura magistrate Pamella Chimhini last week.

The court heard that on October 30 at around midnight, Chakungama and his two accomplices, who are still at large, broke into Webster Chakara’s shop and stole two television sets and radios, among other electrical appliances.

They took the goods to a house in Chipadze for safekeeping before proceeding to shop number 105 York Street in the same neighbourhood, where they stole groceries.

They were sold out by residents who bought their loot at cheap prizes. Police only recovered goods worth $6 967.