Carpenter jailed 10 years over fraud

A 30-year-old carpenter who defrauded a trader of GHC 11,000.00 under the pretext of selling her a piece of land, has been sentenced to 10 years imprisonment by the Nkawie Circuit Court.

Kwame Agyei was convicted for selling the piece of land which did not belong to him at Nsonyameye, near Abuakwa in the Atwima-Nwabiagya Municipality, to the trader and later went into hiding.

He pleaded guilty to the offence and was convicted on his own plea by the Court presided over by Mr Michael Johnson Abbey.

Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Sylvanus Dalmeida, told the Court that the complainant is a trader at Nsonyameye, while the convict was a resident of Kokoso, near Kumasi.

He said on September last year, the two met at Race Course in Kumasi and the convict informed the complainant that he had a building plot which he was selling.

The complainant showed interest and paid an amount of GHC 11,000.00 to the convict who also gave her photocopies of documents covering the land and promised to bring the originals later.

The prosecution said it was when the complainant went to see the land that she noticed she had been swindled a neighbor told her that the said land was hers and not for the convict.

He said numerous attempts by the complainant to get the convict to discuss the matter proved futile and he eventually went into hiding.

ASP Dalmeida said the case was subsequently reported to the Tanoso police.

He said on October 01, last year, the convict was arrested by the police at KNUST in connection with a similar offence and when the complainant heard about it she informed the Tanoso police who went and arrested him.

The convict admitted the offence and he was charged and brought before the Court.