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Crime & Punishment of Thursday, 15 November 2012

Source: GNA

Court fines radio and TV repairer, mason, for stealing

Takoradi Circuit Court “B” on Wednesday fined Stephen Ampong, a radio and television repairer and Samuel Sarpong, a mason, GHc300 each for conspiracy to commit crime, causing unlawful damage, unlawful entry and two counts of stealing.

In default, the accused persons would serve three years imprisonment in hard labour each. They pleaded guilty.

Isaac Ampong, an unemployed, who is jointly charged with them is on the run.

Prosecuting, Police Inspector Seth Ahelegbe, said all the accused persons reside at Adientem near Takoradi.

He said Grace Gawuga, the complainant engaged the services of some witnesses in the case to put up her building at Adientem.

Inspector Ahelegbe said while the building was under construction, series of theft of building materials and working tools took place.

He said on November 3rd this year after of close of work, the witnesses locked building materials in a store room and left for the house.

Inspector Ahelegbe said when the witnesses reported for work the following day, they detected the store room had been broken into and the building materials stolen.

He said the witnesses reported the theft to the complainant and started their own investigations.

Inspector Ahelegbe said in the course of the investigations, the witnesses came across one of their rubber buckets in the house of the accused persons.

He said the witnesses arrested Alex Andoh and Aminu Osumanu, who they thought were responsible for the theft in the house and took them to the Police Station.

Inspector Ahelegbe said during investigations, the suspects mentioned Stephen Ampong and Samuel Sarpong as the culprits and led the Police to arrest them at their hideouts at Assakae.

He said Ampong and Sarpong admitted the offence in their cautioned statements and mentioned Isaac Ampong as an accomplice.

Inspector Ahelegbe said the accused persons led the Police to retrieve all the stolen items with the exception of four plywoods and were charged after further investigations.