Farmer jailed six years in hard labour for stealing shanks

Akim Swedru (E/R), Nov. 11, GNA - The Akim Swedru Circuit Court has sentenced a 55-year-old farmer to six years imprisonment in hard labour for stealing railway shanks, property of Ghana Railway Company. Kofi Abeka pleaded not guilty to stealing, but after the trial, Mr Edward Kwame Apenkwah who presided found him guilty and sentenced him accordingly. The prosecutor, Police Sergeant Eric Awiadem had earlier told the court that the complainant, Mr Francis Oppong is a train driver stationed at Takoradi but a native of Akim Achiase, while the convict also lives at Akim Achiase. That, on August 15, this year at about 1500 hours when Mr Oppong went on a weekend at Achiase, he had a phone call from Mr Kofi Asare and Mr Brew Dickson, both witnesses in the case, had arrested Abeka who was caught removing some shanks from the Achiase-Osorase railway lines. He stated that Mr Asare and Mr Brew escorted Abeka together with the exhibit, which was parked in a fertilizer sack to the Achiase police station, from where he was sent to court.