A 17-year-old who escaped Bayelsa State police detention has been sentenced to 40 strokes of the cane and six weeks of community service. The youth had been arrested for stealing a cell phone and a bicycle. .

According to a copy of the Yenagoa magistrate’s court’s September 27 judgment seen by SaharaReporters on Wednesday, the juvenile was found guilty of stealing a mobile phone, a bicycle and escaping from police detention. .

The punishment for escaping police detention attracted 10 strokes of the cane and 30 minutes of community service for three weeks. The offense of stealing a bicycle and mobile phone attracted 30 strokes and 30 minutes of community work for three weeks. .

Deputy Superintendent of Police and spokesman for the Bayelsa State Police Command, Asinim Butswat, said that the juvenile has been handed over to his parents and is sweeping the Swali market in Yenagoa for 30 minutes daily for six weeks for his community service sentence. .

The juvenile, who was seen sweeping the Swali market on Wednesday, said that he had escaped from the broken ceiling at a police detention facility but was shortly rearrested and arraigned.