A Thika court has spared a 23-year-old student from earning a criminal record after he was accused of stealing a bottle of whiskey worth Sh1,800 from Naivas Supermarket.

Thika Chief Magistrate Stella Atambo opted for a compassionate approach, directing that the young man compensate the retailer rather than face conviction.

The court heard that lawyers present during the session volunteered to help raise the Sh1,800 needed to settle the matter.

This intervention allowed the student, who had been arrested over the weekend, to avoid a future burdened by a criminal history.

Magistrate Atambo emphasized that the offence, though unlawful, did not warrant a lifelong stain on the youth’s future.

She instead urged him to take responsibility, pay the compensation, and avoid further trouble with the law.

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Magistrate Questions Youth, Advises Responsibility

During the proceedings, Atambo engaged the young man directly, questioning his understanding of the situation.

“You’re smiling because you know the problem… I don’t want to talk about it,” she remarked as she probed his actions.

Noting his age, the magistrate reminded him of the consequences of poor decisions.

“How old are you? You’re still very young… Eighteen hundred for a whiskey?” She said, before asking the court, “Who has come to pay the cash bill for you?”

Court Encourages Mentorship, Leniency

When it became clear that no relative had arrived to assist, Atambo urged the student to consider simply clearing the bill.

“Don’t you wish that you just pay the bill?” she asked, to which he responded that he wished to but lacked support.

The magistrate then turned to lawyers in the courtroom, suggesting they help guide the youth.

“He is your fellow boy child… I thought you people would say you want to be mentors. Who is the mentor for the young man?” she posed.

She insisted that convicting him over a single bottle of whiskey would be excessive.

“I don’t want to take plea and convict him because of a bottle of whiskey,” she stated, adding that the young man likely “just probably wanted to unwind.”

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Lawyers Step In to Help Settle the Case

Atambo highlighted the importance of guidance from older men in the profession, observing, “These are your older brothers… they know what it means when you’re just stealing whiskey so that you can have a good time and unwind.”

In a final push for resolution, she asked if anyone could step forward to settle the compensation.

“Who is coming to pay the fine for you? Can you call him very fast?” she instructed, noting that the matter needed to be sorted with the supermarket.

She concluded the session by acknowledging the goodwill in the courtroom, “This well-to-do advocate of ours will do something.”

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Milimani Law Courts in Nairobi. PHOTO/ Capital FM.