'You once convicted me', Accused reminds judge

Juaso (Ash), Aug 29, GNA - There was drama at a circuit court in Juaso on Friday when an accused reminded the presiding judge that he had convicted him before, sending the packed courtroom into uncontrollable laughter.

"My lord you once sentenced me six months for illegally connecting electricity to my room at Bawku", Ibrahim Alhassan Mohammed said without waiting for the prosecution to answer a question posed by the judge who wanted to know if the accused was known to the court.

Ibrahim, who was charged with stealing a car, was convicted on his own plea and sentenced to five years in jail in hard labour. According to the facts of the case as presented by Chief Inspector Stephen Opare, the complainant was a professional driver at Konongo while the accused was a farmer.

On July 17, this year, Mohammed hired an Opel Astra taxicab belonging to the complainant for a period of five days. The accused, who had earlier introduced the complainant to a man in Kumasi on July 21, sent the complainant to go and bring a 207 Benz bus he had purchased from the man, while keeping custody the key to the taxicab.

The complainant, who could not trace the man returned to Konongo later only to find both the accused and the cab missing. Sensing danger, he lodged a report with the Konongo police who through investigations traced Mohammed to Akosombo in the Eastern region.

He admitted stealing the cab, adding that he had sold it to one Michael Howusu at Kpando for 25 million cedis but had only received part payment of 16.7 million cedis.

The cab was later retrieved from Howusu but had its registration number changed.