Yam thief blames step mother for bewitching her

Mampong (Ash) July 28 - Yaw Addo, a taxi driver who appeared before Mampong District court for stealing yams valued at GHȼ 3,000.00 said his step-mother has bewitched him.

He however pleaded guilty to stealing and was fined GHȼ 500.00 or in default serve six months imprisonment.

In addition, the court ordered him to refund the GHȼ 3,000.00 being the value of the yams to the complainant.

Police Chief Inspector John Amponsah told the court presided over by Mr Godwin Kpogli that the complainant, Madam Esther Adoma is a farmer at Dadease near Asante Mampong and the suspect is a taxi driver at Mampong.

He said the complainant has a large acreage of yam farm at Dadease which has reached maturity and detected that somebody was uprooting some of the yams so she informed the farmers around the area to look out for the thief.

The prosecution said on July 18, a witness in the case saw the convict loading some yams in a cab and when she confronted him to know the source of the yams, the suspect said the load belongs to a certain woman at Mampong.

Chief Inspector Amponsah said the witness accompanied the driver to the alleged woman who denied ownership of the yams and in the process, the taxi driver attempted to run away but he was arrested by the people who were attracted to the scene and handed over to the police.

He said the owner of the yams was informed and during police investigation, the convict admitted that he stole the yams and led the police to the farm where he said he has been farm on four occasions.

Chief Inspector Amponsah said the convict said he uproot the yams on market days sells them.

GNA