An Igbosere High Court, Lagos, on Monday sentenced a man, Oluwaseun Adeniyi, to four years imprisonment for stealing a car.
Adeniyi had, through a plea bargain agreement, pleaded guilty to an amended charge of stealing, preferred against him by the Lagos State Government.
Justice Adedayo Akintoye, who handed down the sentence, found him guilty as charged and ordered that the sentence should take effect from the day the convict was remanded in prison.
The judge sentenced him to four years imprisonment based on the plea bargain agreement reached by the defendant and the state.
Earlier, the Prosecutor, Mr Babatunde Sunmonu, had told the court that the defendant committed the offence on July 17, 2016, at Saint Dominic Church, Yaba, Lagos.
He said that the convict had attempted to steal a Honda Accord car with registration number KTU 712 BR, belonging to one Mr Benedict Okoro.
Sunmonu said the offence contravened Section 287 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
During the review of facts, the prosecutor said that the convict was arrested by the church’s vigilante group when he attempted to steal the car after the owner had parked and entered the church auditorium.
He said that the convict was arrested and handed over to the police.
Sunmonu, however, told the court that the convict was first arraigned
sometime in 2018 on a count charge of robbery, but he pleaded not guilty and
was remanded.
He said that sometime in April, the defendant through his counsel, Mrs Grace
Adenubi, filed an application requesting to change his plea.
He said that the convict changed his plea from not guilty to guilty after
reaching a plea bargain agreement with the state.
He said that the convict had been in custody since Sept. 22, 2016 and a term of
four years imprisonment from the day of remand at the magistrate court was
approved by the state, “subject to the approval of the court.’’
“We humbly urge the court to uphold the terms of the plea bargain,’’ Adenubi
said.
