Porter jailed five years in hard labour by Circuit Court

Kumasi, April 29, GNA - The Kumasi Circuit Court has ordered a 28-year-old porter standing trial for unlawful entry, causing damage and stealing to be held in prison for five years in hard labour. Kwaku Tawiah, 28, pleaded guilty to the charges. The convict, a resident of Alabar, Kumasi, had previously visited the prisons for similar offences.

Detective Police Inspector Martin Assenso told the Court presided over by Mr Justice William Boampong, that the complainant, Agyare Boateng, is a businessman and care taker of a house where Tawiah lives. For some time now, tenants of the house had been experiencing theft of their personal belongings and decided to mount surveillance. The prosecution said on March 30, Tawiah was spotted carrying away 14 louvre blades which he had removed from some rooms of the house and when confronted he could not give any tangible explanation. A report was therefore made to the police at Manhyia and he was arrested. Whiles in detention, he admitted stealing the louvre blades and also confessed to having broken into the room of another tenant, to steal a mattress, standing fan and gas cylinder. Tawiah claimed he sold these to one Melcom but could not lead the police to the said person.