Painter remanded for theft

Kumasi, May 17, GNA - A Kumasi Circuit Court presided over by Mr Justice Emmanuel Amo-Yartey has remanded a 46-year-old painter for stealing GH¢17,252.00 belonging to a trader.

Salifu Hamidu pleaded guilty and sentence was deferred to May 27. Police Chief Inspector Comfort Baffour-Kyei told the court that the complainant, Constance Konadu Sarpong, lives at Bompata whilst Hamidu resides at Amakom, all in Kumasi.

The prosecution likened the relationship between the two to that of "mother and son" and said the convict had been running errands for complainant.

On one of such errands the woman sent him to Benin with GH¢36,504.00 to buy poultry feed.

Hamidu bought 900 bags of the feed, brought these down into the country, sold out the entire stock but paid only GH¢19,252.00 to the complainant and went into hiding.

The prosecution said Constance, who had lost all contact with the accused, made a report to the police who arrested him on May 11. In his caution statement, he admitted using the remaining amount of the money to attend to his personal problems.