8 years For Stealing Priest's Plantain

A 24-year-old man would regret the day he decided to extend his stealing habits to the backyard garden of of a Roman Catholic priest.

Sylvanus Agbakpe, has been sentenced to eight years imprisonment with hard labour for stealing two bunches of plantain from the farm of Rev Theodore Hevi, of the Fodome Parish of the Catholic Church on August 4.

Agbakpe, who is an ex-convict and described by the police as notorious pleaded guilty to the charge of stealing and convicted on his own plea by the court, presided over by His Honour U.P. Dery.

Prosecuting, Chief Inspector David Gomashie, told the court that on August 4, Rev Hevi discovered that two bunches of plantain on his farm had been harvested by an unknown person.

The prosecutor said when all efforts to trace the foodstuff failed, some sympathisers became suspicious of Agbakpe.

According to Chief Inspector Gomashie, one Mr Selormey Kotsi, approached Agbakpe and feigned interest in the foodstuff, assuring him that he (Kotsi) would secretly send it to Accra the following day.

Mr Gomashie said Agbakpe was arrested and handed over to the police when he brought out the plantain from a nearby bush.