Foolish Bulawayo man dragged to court for lying to police about robbery

 

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In a bid to persuade a taxi driver to offer him a free ride, a Bulawayo man lied that he had just been robbed of his car at gun point before proceeding to make another false police report of robbery and theft at Hillside Police Station.

Dale Alexander Hughes (22) of 14 Kingsley Crescent in Malindela suburb has learnt that you can only supply false information to your “friends” but not to a public authority as he has been hauled to court and remanded in custody by the Bulawayo provincial magistrate Tinashe Tashaya.

He was charged with the crime C/S 180 (1) (a) of the Criminal Law Codification and Reform Act Chapter 9:23 “Deliberately Supplying False Information to a Public Authority”.

He pleaded guilty to the charge. Prosecutor Nkathazo Dlodlo told the court that on 1 April at around 9.30pm  a “penniless” Alexander waved down a taxi and told the driver that he had been robbed of his car, $60, an iPhone and 15 litres of petrol which was in the car tank.

He allegedly begged the driver to offer him free transport to go and collect his other cellphone in Barham Green where he had forgotten it. The driver obliged.

The court further heard that on their way, the taxi driver advised the accused that they would rather make a police report first. That’s when they drove to ZRP Hillside and reported the case. He said the total value of the stolen property was pegged at $6 630.

“After reporting the case, the police went to attend to the scene to do the investigations. The accused was interviewed continuously and he was making inconsistent statements. His father was also interviewed and he indicated that his son did not own a car,” Dlodlo told the court.

It is said at that moment Alexander came out clean that he made a false report as he confirmed that there was no robbery committed on him. Alexander blamed his actions on alcohol.

“I was too drunk on the day Your Worship. I did not have money to hire a taxi but l needed to go home, that is the reason I made a false report. Everything just happened as l was in a drunken stupor,” he said.