By PETER MIVA
A 28-YEAR-OLD Information Technology (IT) specialist has been sentenced to three years in jail with hard labour for stealing.
Philip Ine, from Kami village, Goroka, Eastern Highlands province, was found by the National Court in Lae to have stolen K7,000 from his employer.
The IT specialist was also the acting as general manager of the Homestate Corporation in Lae on Feb 14 last year, when he organised the theft.
He did not respect his career, family, integrity and the law when he stole, presiding judge Justice George Manuhu said.
Ine is married with one child.
He appeared shattered during sentencing, sitting, most of the time, with his head bowed
into his hands.
If unemployed youths were sent to higher jail terms for robbing and stealing lesser amounts, there were no excuses why Ine, who is a degree holder in a manager’s position, could not be sent to jail, Justice Manuhu said.
Ine had indicated he would be repaying the money to the company but had not done so over a year.
Ine had pleaded not guilty to the charge last week but had succumbed to the weight of the evidence against him and admitted to the theft at the later stage of the trial.
The judge deducted three weeks for the time the prisoner spent in custody while waiting for his trial.
He will serve the remaining two years and 11 months.