A Dei-Dei Grade I Area Court, Abuja on Wednesday sentenced a 25-year-old farmer, Salisu Sule, to 12 months imprisonment for stealing church glass pulpit and wheelbarrow.

Sule of Yimi, Zuba, Abuja pleaded guilty to two counts of criminal trespass and theft and begged the court for leniency.

The judge, Saminu Suleiman, however, gave the convict an option of N40,000 fine.

Suleiman ordered the convict to pay N140,000 as compensation to the complainant and warned him to desist from committing crime.

Earlier, the prosecution counsel, Mr Chinedu Ogada, told the court that the complainant, Emeka Ucheara, of Dangerous Fire and Miracle Ministry, Ruryi Zuba, Abuja reported the matter at Zuba Police Station on Jan. 4.

Ogada said on the same date at about 11pm, the convict criminally trespassed into the complainant’s church at Zuba through the fence without his consent.

He said the convict intentionally stole the church glass pulpit valued at N100,000 and wheel wheelbarrow.

He said in the process, the convict dishonestly broke the church glass pulpit but was caught and handed over to the police for proper investigation.

He said iron rod was recovered from the convict and that the offence contravened sections 348 and 288 of the Penal Code. (NAN)