A young prison inmate named Aleck Jack, aged 19, has been sentenced to serve four months in jail after managing to escape from custody.
The sentencing took place in Bulawayo. Magistrate Evia Matura charged Jack with the offence of escaping from lawful custody, as stated in Section 187(1)(b) of the Criminal Law Codification and Reform Act.
Following a thorough trial, Aleck Jack was found guilty and received a six-month prison term from the magistrate. However, two months of the sentence were suspended on the condition that he does not commit a similar offense within the next five years.
The magistrate justified the sentence by characterizing Jack as a dangerous criminal due to his escape from lawful custody. The decision to incarcerate him was made with the belief that it would facilitate his rehabilitation and also serve as a deterrent to others with similar intentions.
According to the information presented in court, on an unspecified date in September of this year, Aleck Jack, who was nearing the end of serving a sentence for assault, was assigned to work at a brick manufacturing company located in Bulawayo’s Cement Siding suburb. While being sent by his supervisor to retrieve some items from the company’s offices, Jack made the decision to escape.
Later that evening, during a routine roll call conducted by prison wardens, it was discovered that Jack had absconded. Subsequently, a manhunt was initiated to locate him. Fortunately, his luck ran out when he was apprehended while drinking at a local establishment in Figtree, situated in the Matabeleland South province. This led to his arrest and subsequent return to custody.
