Monday Joshua a 35-yead- old carpenter and resident of Sokale Dutse Alhaji, Abuja, was on Thursday convicted and sentenced to six months imprisonment by a Grade 1 Area Court in Dei Dei, Federal Capital Territory FCT for defrauding his customer.Oji Sunday.
The Judge,Suleman Ola however, gave the convict an option of N20,000 fine and ordered him to pay N40,000 as compensation to the complainant and warned him to be of good behavior.
The convict had earlier pleaded guilty and prayed the court for leniency.
The prosecutor,Olanipekun Babajide had told the court that the complainant, Sunday of Zone 4,Islania, Dutse Alhaji, Abuja on February 11, reported the matter to the Dutse Police Station.
He said sometime in January, the complainant gave the convict N40,000 to construct a cabinet bed for him.
Babajide said the complainant told the court that after the convict collected the money,he promised his customer that he would deliver the job on January 29, But the convict refused to construct the bed as agreed and converted the money to his personal use.
He said on interrogation by the police , the convict confessed to the crime but all efforts to refund the money proved abortive adding that the offence contravened Sections 312 and 322 of the penal code.
