A lawyer facing charges of stealing by a servant broke down before a Mombasa court as he narrated how the charges being levelled against him had tainted his name and destroyed his career.
Stealing as a servant means stealing money or goods through your employment. It is an extremely serious charge and is not dealt with lightly by the courts. [sic]
Philip Onyango, who appeared before Mombasa senior principal magistrate Vincent Adet, informed the court that he was not aware of the charges he was facing and that journalists in the courtroom should be barred from covering the matter.
He informed the court that the charges he was facing had prevented him from practising law and he was bitter that the charges had been used to bring him down.
Amidst sobs, he took issues with a photographer and made an application before the court that continued coverage of the matter would further ruin his life.
“Am making an application to have journalists in the courtroom, to be ordered not to publish what has transpired in court today and particularly the photojournalist who is taking my photos issue orders for him not to have them published”, he said.
Application dismissed
Adet in a quick rejoinder dismissed the application and held that he had no powers to order journalists not to cover court proceedings.
Onyango is facing charges of stealing by agent.
The particulars being that on May 2018 at Mombasa township within Mombasa county being an agent of the deceased (Ngome Said Ngome) stole Ksh1,796,885 the property of the said deceased which had been entrusted to him Onyango by direct line Assurance company limited for Onyango to pay Ngome.
Adet directed the matter to be heard on March 30 next year.
