Man found vandalising vehicle at police station charged in court
Samson Nina at the Makadara Law Courts.
A 32-year-old man caught red-handed vandalising a motor vehicle parked at a police station in Embakasi, Nairobi, has pleaded guilty to charges of stealing motor vehicle parts.
Samson Shampasina Nina was charged with stealing two car batteries worth Sh31,000 from a company truck on 22 September.
He pleaded guilty before Senior Principal Magistrate Monica Kivuti at the Makadara Law Courts.
Nina was to face an alternative charge of handling stolen goods after he was found with the two batteries, but the charge was dropped after he admitted the main charge.
He is accused of dishonestly retaining the batteries in the process of stealing them when he was found under the lorry by a police officer who arrested him at around 7pm.
The police officer noticed someone under the lorry and approached to find Nina, who had removed the two batteries, and arrested him. Nina tried to run away, but the officer grabbed him before he could get away.
He was taken to one of the station's investigation offices for questioning, along with the two stolen batteries and the tools he had used to remove them.
During interrogation, Nina told the police that he had stolen the batteries to sell to a used car parts dealer on Jongoo Road, who had bought seven other batteries from him.
He told police that he had stolen 16 more, which he sold to two dealers. The accused said he had sold five others to a dealer in the Pipeline area of Embakasi and four others to an official of a Public Service Vehicle (PSV) Sacco in the area.
The prosecution had listed three police officers, including the station commander, Chief Inspector James Mose, as witnesses against Nina, but they will not testify as he did not deny the charges.
The case will be heard on October 3, when the prosecution will present its case against him and the exhibits, including the two batteries and the tools used by Nina to remove them from the car.
