19-year-old miner jailed for breaking into gold buying shop

A 19-year-old small scale miner, who broke into a gold buying shop and made away with items and money worth GHS 19,400 has been sentenced to six months imprisonment in hard labour by the Tarkwa District court ‘2’.

Yaw Atigama, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit crime, causing unlawful damage and stealing.

The presiding judge, Isaac Osei Asare, convicted and sentenced Atigama, to six months in prison on all three counts, sentences are to run concurrently.

The prosecutor, Police Sargent Patrick Essien, said the complainant Benjamin Atta Borsah, a gold buyer, resided in Wassa Simpa, a community along the Tarkwa-Takoradi highway while Atigama, hails from Akatsi in the Volta Region.

He said on June 18, 2023, at about 0500 hours, members of Simpa community volunteers, while on their usual rounds to ensure property and the citizenry are protected, detected thieves had broken into the complainant’s gold buying shop and stolen some items.

He said the witness picked the complainant’s phone number on the door of his shop and pleaded with him to come over.

The prosecutor said when the complainant rushed to the scene, he realized his glass and burglar proof doors valued GHS 4,500 had been damaged.

Sergeant Essien said a Hisense television valued at GH￠2, 500, two gold weighing scales valued GH￠600, money box containing GH￠1,000 and about three pounds of gold sand concentrate worth GHS 15,000 were all stolen.

He said while in the shop the witness saw drops of fresh blood on the floor and followed some to a ghetto, where he spotted the accused with a wound on his hand and blood all over.

Prosecution said Atigama was arrested, confessed that he committed the crime with one Abeiku now at large. 

He told the witness and the complainant that his accomplice had sent the television they stole to his mother for safe keeping. 

The witness together with the complainant went to Abeiku house and retrieved the television. 

The convict and exhibit were given to the police, and the case was reported.