Bekwai (Ash), Dec. 17, GNA – The Bekwai Circuit Court has sentenced a mason to eight years imprisonment in hard labour for stealing.
It also sentenced another to a fine of GH¢2,400.00 for abetment of crime whilst the third, a fetish priest was also remanded for abetment of crime and dishonestly receiving.
Meshack Akwasi Amoh, the mason, 28, was charged for causing unlawful damage, unlawful entry and stealing.
He pleaded guilty to the offences and was convicted on his own plea accordingly.
His accomplices: Rashid Sumaila, also a mason, 22, who pleaded guilty, was fined GH¢2,400.00 for abetment of crime and in default, he will serve six months imprisonment in hard labour, whilst Prince Nana Adu Gyamfi, a fetish priest, 29 was remanded into prison custody when he pleaded not guilty to abetment of crime and dishonestly receiving the stolen items .
Gyamfi will make his next appearance on January 6, 2022.
Detective Police Chief Inspector Stephen Ofori told the Court presided over by Mr Mark Tair-imah Diboro that Ruth Asantewaa Bempah is the complainant and a school proprietress who resides at Dominase- Washington Newsite, whilst Amoh lives at Dominase- Washington, while Sumaila lives with Gyamfi at Atwima- Kwanwoma and Boankra near Ejisu.
He said on November 28, 2021 at about 1530 hours, the complainant returned from church service and found the padlock of her room door broken.
Mr Ofori said she noticed after entering the room that, everything there had been ransacked.
Prosecution said the complainant detected that her two flat screen television (TV) sets valued GH¢2,500.00, two HP laptops valued GH¢5,000.00, three phone tablets valued GH¢1,500.00, ten pieces of wax prints valued GH¢2,500.00, bundle of floor carpet valued GH¢360.00, Itel mobile phone valued GH¢50.00 and GH¢3,500.00, all to the tune of 15,410.00 had been stolen.
Detective Chief Inspector Ofori said complainant lodged a formal complaint with the Police, where the scene was visited by the Police and photographs taken to that effect on December 4, 2021.
He said a witness in this case told the complainant that, on the day of the theft Amoh approached her at her kiosk and collected a sack with an explanation that, he was going to pack his late father’s belongings into it.
He said on December 11, 2021, Amoh allegedly stole some plantain from the complainant’s garden and was seen by some people but he absconded.
Mr Ofori said the complainant later detected the theft of her plantain in her garden and upon enquiries Amoh’s name was mentioned as the thief.
He said Amoh was later spotted and arrested by some neighbors and handed over to Police.
He said during interrogations, Amoh admitted stealing the plantain.
Detective Chief Inspector Ofori said Amoh abode was searched by the Police together with the complainant who identified a piece of her stolen carpet in Amoh’s room, adding that, the complainant also identified the keypad of her stolen itel mobile phone.
He said Amoh later admitted that he was responsible for the theft of the complainant’s items on November 28, 2021.
Again, he confessed that, after stealing the items, Sumaila came and assisted him to send them to Gyamfi, his spiritualist whom he worked for.
He said Gyamfi was identified and later arrested where he admitted in his investigative cautioned statement that, he kept the stolen items in his house for spiritual cleansing since the items were filthy.
Mr Ofori said Amoh then led police to his house at Boankra and Kwanwoma respectively to retrieve some of the items and after investigations, they were arraigned.
GNA