Cape Coast, Jan. 27, GNA – A 25-year-old unemployed, Felix Asare, who defrauded a trader of 75 bags of cement, worth GHC3,600, has been sentenced to 30 months imprisonment in hard labour by the Cape Coast Circuit Court II.
He pleaded guilty to the charge of defrauding under false pretences and the court, presided over by Mrs Dorinda Smith Arthur, convicted him on his own plea.
It issued arrest warrants against his accomplices; Adjei, Abu, and Amankwa who are currently on the run.
Passing judgment, Mrs Arthur urged the public to be aware of the new tactics of criminals to rob and defraud innocent persons.
She told the convict to serve the sentence and become a better person when released, adding: “What you did was very wrong”.
Prosecuting, Chief Inspector Samuel Reynolds Amoakoh told the court that the complainant, Madam Veronica Quansah, is a trader and resides at Jukwa.
On Thursday, October 28, last year, the complainant went to a construction site known as Farm Fresh Food Construction Limited at Jukwa, where the convict was a labourer, to advertise her cement.
Chief Inspector Amoakoh said the complainant told the foreman, in the presence of the convict, that he could supply cement to them when the need arose.
On Saturday, December 11, Asare conspired with Adjei and Abu to defraud the complainant.
Asare proceeded to the shop of the complainant, called Adjei on phone and asked Madam Quansah to talk to him and Adjei deceitfully introduced himself as the foreman and asked for cement to work with at the site for later payment.
Prosecution said Asare, together with the two accomplices, obtained the consent of the complainant and succeeded in purchasing 75 bags of super cool Ghacem cement, valued at GHC3,600.00 in the name of the company.
The convict, with the other two accomplices, later sold the cement to Amankwah at a cost of GHC2,625,00.00 but failed to pay the complainant.
The complainant later went to the construction site to demand her money from the original foreman but was informed that no one had been sent to her from the company for cement.
She, therefore, made a formal report to the Jukwa Police on Sunday, January 23, 2022, and the convict was arrested from his hideout at Asutuare in the Eastern Region with the assistance of Mr Benjamin Kofiwayo, the main foreman of the company.
The prosecutor said after investigations the convict was charged with the offence, while efforts to arrest the three accomplices were underway.
GNA