Mother sues son over stolen bed cover

A mother surprised a court after she sued her 19-year-old son for allegedly stealing her bed cover.

Mwana Mwinyi Hija reported son Abdul Muhammad to Changamwe police station after he confessed to stealing and selling the bed cover she  bought for Sh7,000.

Muhammad was arraigned at the Mombasa law courts on Monday where he pleaded guilty.

The matter was however postponed after the prosecution appealed for time to produce the evidence.

The accused appeared again  before chief resident magistrate Edna Nyaloti on Wednesday.

The court heard that the mother confronted the son after she realized the cover she had spread on her bed was missing.

On being asked if he knew of its whereabouts, the son confessed that he had taken it and sold it for Sh1,000.

The agitated mother then reported the matter to the police who arrested the son.

He directed them to where he had sold the bed cover and it was recovered.

The magistrate however questioned the relationship between the mother and her son, suggesting there was something more to the matter than just the bed cover theft.

On being asked why she sued the son instead of forgiving him as any loving parent would, Mwinyi said her son indulged in drug abuse.

She claimed Muhammad had started consuming heroine locally known  as 'unga'.

She told the court the son was a Form Four leaver and she would have taken him to college but lacked funds following the father's death.

She requested the court to sentence him claiming that if he got released he would still go back to drugs and petty theft.

Abdul appealed for forgiveness promising to mend his ways.

The prosecution suggested that the accused be put under probation.

Magistrate Nyaloti concurred and directed to forward him to probation officers later.