Sukulwenkosi Dube- Matutu, Plumtree Correspondent
A PLUMTREE Prison inmate has been sentenced to one year in jail for escaping from custody while working at a farm in the border town with other inmates.
Brighton Sibanda (22) who is serving an 18 months jail term for robbery that was handed down in February this year, was convicted on his own plea of guilty to escaping from lawful custody by Plumtree magistrate, Mr Joshua Mawere.
He was jailed for an additional effective 12 months jail term for escaping from lawful custody.
Prosecuting, Mr Elisha Mazorodze said Sibanda escaped from prison officers on April 21 at around 1PM while they were working with other inmates at the Plumtree Prison Farm.
He said Sibanda was arrested on the same day in a bushy area in his rural home in Tjankwa Village, Bulilima District.
“On April 21, Sibanda was working at the Plumtree Prison Farm together with eight other inmates. At 1PM they took a break to have lunch and he took advantage of the situation to escape into the bushes.
“Prison officers tracked his shoe prints up to his rural home in Tjankwa Village. They inquired and his family indicated that they hadn’t seen him,” he said.
Mr Mazorodze said prison officers continued to search for Sibanda in the area and found him hiding in the bushes around 6PM.
On February 24, Sibanda was arrested for robbery and was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment on February 27 at the Plumtree Magistrate’s Court.
@DubeMatutu