Kojo Gyesi, a 36 year-old illegal miner, has been sentenced to 12 months imprisonment in hard labour by a Tarkwa Circuit Court for stealing 440 litters of diesel valued at 1,779 Ghana cedis and causing damage to a wire fence estimated at 1,000 Ghana cedis.

He pleaded guilty to stealing and causing damage.

Prosecuting, Police Chief Inspector Edward Paddy told the court, presided by Mr Justice Samuel Obeng Diawuo, that the complainant is an industrial engineer working on the MTN tower plant in the Tarkwa Nsueam Municipality.

Chief Inspector Paddy said there had been siphoning of fuel at the tower plant and the complainant, therefore, asked those staying closer to the site to help him arrest the perpetrators.

He said around 0230 hours on June 24, this year, a witnesss in the case, whose apartment is closer to the MTN tower plant, waked up to urinate and saw Gyesi and one Appiah, who is now at large, siphoning diesel from the telecommunication plant.

Chief Inspector Paddy said the witness quickly informed a colleague and the two of them monitored the culprits and managed to arrest Gyesi who was holding a container filled with diesel but his accomplice escaped.

He said the complainant was informed and Gyesi was taken to the Police Station together with the exhibit.

The convict, in his caution statement, said that it was his accomplice who led him to the place to commit the offence.