The Bole District Magistrate Court, presided over by His Worship Edward Essel, has handed down a verdict in the case involving a 26-year-old teacher, Barnard Tamayiri, who escaped from police custody.
The suspect was charged with stealing a mobile phone accessory from a shop in Tuna and subsequently charged for escaping from police custody after his initial arrest.
During the court proceedings, the prosecutor, ASP Wisdom Pavis, detailed that the accused was rearrested at his hideout and brought before the Bole District Magistrate Court to face charges related to both the theft and his escape from custody.
He pleaded guilty to the theft charge and was sentenced to two years of imprisonment.
However, he entered a plea of not guilty for the charge of escaping from police custody, which resulted in a separate two-year sentence.
The court ruled that both sentences would not run concurrently, meaning that Tamayiri would serve a total of four years in prison.
The decision was made with the intention of serving as a deterrent to others who may contemplate escaping from police custody, as well as sending a message that the law would be enforced rigorously against those who attempt to evade justice.