A homeless 19-year-old teen from Mutare has been jailed after he was found living in the ceiling of a private home without the knowledge of the occupants for close to two months.
Tinashe Mlambo was arrested after the owner of the house Prosper Zimunya busted him in the ceiling.
Mlambo was charged with unlawful entry into premises as defined in Section 131 (1) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act, Chapter 9:23.
He pleaded guilty when he appeared before Mutare magistrate, Ms Prisca Manhibi.
Manica Post reports that Mlambo gained entry into Prosper Zimunya’s house in Hobhouse suburb through the garage while the family was watching television.
Mlambo is alleged to have stayed in the ceiling for close to two months without Zimunya’s family knowledge.
The court heard that for two months Mlambo would sneak into the house in the middle of the night to eat before leaving in the wee hours. Mlambo also admitted that during his two months stay at Zimunya’s ceiling, he would steal items such as cellphones and chargers without being noticed.
Mlambo’s luck ran out after Zimunya heard some strange sounds from the ceiling and took a ladder to investigate what was causing the noise in the ceiling.
To his shock, he found Mlambo hiding in the ceiling.
Zimunya immediately made a report at Hobhouse Police Base leading to Mlambo’s arrest.
For his crime, he was sentenced to 14 months imprisonment of which six months were suspended for the next five years on condition of good behaviour.
He will ,however, serve eight months in prison.