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Trader in court for buying, using stolen phone


A businessman who bought a Sh125,000 stolen phone for Sh25,000 was charged with theft and handling stolen property at the Kibera law courts.

John Ochieng is accused of stealing the Samsung Note 8 from Leason Letangule on February 13.

He is also facing charges of handling stolen property after he was found with the phone in Ruiru on August 6.

Ochieng denied the charges before senior resident magistrate Charles Mwaniki of Kibera law courts and claimed he bought it.

Letangule’s phone was snatched by thugs on bodaboda in Westlands, Nairobi as he walked home.

Ochieng told the court, through a lawyer, that he bought the phone innocently before he was caught with it.

A woman who used the phone after it was stolen from Letangule has been charged with the same offence.

Police had been tracing the phone since February until Ochieng started using it consistently.

Ochieng was released on a cash bail of Sh50,000 and an alternative bond of Sh100,000.

The case will be mentioned on August 31 for directions regarding consolidation with that of the other suspect earlier charged.