Harare — A 35-year-old-old man who broke into several Harare flats over the past two months will spend the next eight years behind bars after being convicted of unlawful entry.

Peter Muitire pleaded guilty to four counts of unlawful entry when he appeared before magistrate Mr Munamato Mutevedzi, who sentenced him to nine years imprisonment before suspending one year on condition of good behaviour.

Prosecutor Mr Relaxon Mandizvidza had asked for a stiff penalty to be imposed in order to satisfy "societal expectations" and deter would-be offenders.

"Housebreakers are worse than robbers because apart from invading one's privacy they are prepared to use violence to ward off any resistance from their victims.

"The court should be seen to be in tandem with societal expectations on such perpetrators. The State therefore is urged to pass a custodial sentence of not less than five years against the accused person," he said.