THREE COPS SENTENCED TO LIFE FOR COPPER ROBBERY

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Posted by admin on November 21, 2025 at 3:26 AM

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The Kitwe High Court has sentenced three police officers to life imprisonment with hard labour after finding them guilty of aggravated robbery involving copper blister, a chain block, and four steel pipes valued at K65,040.

Court records show that Richard Mpengaula and Teddy Nyirenda, both of Wusakile Police Station, together with Kennedy Mwansa of the Kamfinsa Mobile Unit, were jointly charged alongside Luka Mtonga and Peter Kambayenda.

The group was accused of acting together, armed with a firearm, when they committed the offence on January 3, 2020 in Kitwe. All five pleaded not guilty.

After the State, represented by National Prosecutions Authority (NPA) advocates, presented its evidence, the accused were found with a case to answer and placed on their defence.

Delivering judgment, Court of Appeal Judge Abbah Patel, sitting as High Court judge, convicted Mpengaula, Nyirenda, and Mwansa, sentencing them to life imprisonment.

Mtonga and Kambayenda were acquitted after the court found insufficient evidence linking them to the robbery. Mtonga was identified as the driver of the hired vehicle used to transport the stolen items, while Kambayenda was the conductor.

The ruling underscores the judiciary’s stance against corruption and criminality within law enforcement ranks, sending a strong message that officers who abuse their positions of trust will face the full weight of the law.