Serial burglar jailed for stealing underwear at NYS headquarters – VIDEO
A serial burglar who broke into the house of a National Youth Service (NYS) personnel at the NYS headquarters and stole his household items was jailed for three years by a Makadara law court.
Stephen Ochieng’ was handed the sentence by Makadara chief magistrate Heston Nyaga after he pleaded guilty to the burglary and handling stolen goods charges.
Ochieng’ admitted to stealing Anthony Munene Njeru’s underwear, subwoofer and a claw hammer, all valued at Sh4,900 and handling the stolen goods after breaking into his house at dawn.
He was spotted by a hawkeyed guard at the NYS headquarters who raised an alarm prompting colleagues to team up and arrest him.
Njeru was still asleep when Ochieng’ was being apprehended shortly before 5am and he was not aware that his house had been broken into as he slept.
The magistrate remembered having jailed Ochieng’ in 2016 for the same offence which he committed at the same place but at a different house when he was arraigned on Thursday last week.
Ochieng’ maintained that he only had a case at Milimani law courts and maybe a bhang trafficking case at Makadara law courts but police confirmed that he had been convicted and jailed before.
“He must be another Spiderman after the one who has tormented the residents of Kilimani in Nairobi only that this one can be termed as the Spiderman of NYS,” Nyaga said.
“Having proven that the previous term has not taught him a lesson, I think a larger sentence may do so,” he added.
In the 2016 case, Ochieng’ had been charged with breaking in and stealing from Fridah Opiyo Odongo’s house at the NYS headquarters on June 24, 2016.
He had admitted to the charges of stealing a TV and a mobile phone valued at Sh55,000 and was jailed for two years on July 1 of the same year after being arrested while selling the items to a cop.
Coincidentally, three of his accomplices are serving death sentences for robbing him.
They had reportedly disagreed on a sharing formula after a successful theft and, disgruntled, the three armed themselves and violently robbed him.
After they were charged with robbing Ochieng’, he was also charged with burglary and stealing from Odongo and would come from remand to testify against them.
The court learnt that he grew up inside the NYS barracks where his father was working before he retired and understands the area very well.