Barber jailed for stealing

Asamankese, April 29, GNA - Asamankese Circuit Court on Friday sentenced a 19-year-old barber at Boadua, near Akwatia, to six years' imprisonment for stealing personal effects.

Abubakari Mohammed, who pleaded guilty, insisted that he stole only some of the items and not the lot the prosecution said were stolen. Detective Inspector Eric Okyere had told the court that sometime in March, the complainant, Mr Seth Addo, a trader locked his door at Boadua and travelled to Accra. He was in Accra when his landlord sent him a message that a thief or thieves had broken into his room.

Mr Addo, therefore, rushed back to discover that his door had been tampered with and a number of items including one microphone, two table fans, one ceiling fun, five stereo tape recorders, four laud speakers and two suits were stolen.

Inspector Okyere said Mr Addo started his own investigations and found one of the tape recorders with the brother of the accused. When he was confronted, he named the accused as having given it to him.

Mr Addo, therefore, reported the case to the local neighbourhood watch committee, whose members accompanied him to the accused. When Abubakari was questioned, he admitted the offence and when his room was searched, some of the stolen items were found.

The accused insisted that he stole only the items found in his room, which were a table fan, a tape recorder and a loud speaker. Sentencing him, the Judge, Mr S. S. Appiah said the accused was lying and that he did not see the need to mitigate the sentence.