Benin: caught red-handed stealing goats, a father of the family sentenced to 12 months in prison.

Faced with the social distress mentioned by the accused, the justice system chose to strictly follow the public prosecutor’s requests by imposing a mixed prison sentence along with a financial fine.

According to the online media Libre Express, the accused is not a stranger to the judicial system where he has already been judged for similar acts. Caught in the act before he could even sell the stolen livestock, the accused was immediately referred to the prosecution and then placed in custody.

When he took the stand, he chose to be candid, openly admitting to the facts. In his defense, he cited absolute urgency and his financial incapacity to meet the educational expenses of his children.

However, the father’s criminal history weighed heavily in the judicial balance. The public prosecutor reminded the court during the hearing that this was not his first offense, as he has previously been convicted for breach of trust.

Considering the recidivism evident, the court upheld all the requests from the prosecution: the accused receives a sentence of twelve months in prison, six months of which are to be served without parole and six months with a suspended sentence, along with a fine of 50,000 CFA francs.