Unemployed gets six months for stealing

Koforidua (Eastern Region), 19 Feb. '99 -

A Koforidua community tribunal has sentenced Charles Owusu, an 18-year-old unemployed, to six months' imprisonment for stealing a cassock and 10,000 cedis of the pastor of the Osiem Saviour Church. Passing sentence, the tribunal chaired by Mr Asare Duah, said when Owusu first appeared before it on January 27, this year, he gave a doubthful age of 17 and that the tribunal ordered the police to investigate his age.

He said on Owusu's second reappearance, he changed his age from 17 to 18 years. Mr Asare said in view of the report submitted to the court by the police from his family pegging Owusu's age as between 19 and 20, and the tribunal considered Owusu as an adult. Owusu was said to have stolen the cassock and the money from a drying line on the compound of the Saviour Church at Osiem during the church's annual congregation last month. GRi.../