Court defers sentence of student with Indian hemp

By Hafsa Obeng, GNA
Accra, Sept. 26, GNA - An Accra Circuit Court on Monday deferred the sentence of Frutashi Bertrand, a student, who was arraigned for possessing six wrappers of dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp.

Frutashi, who pleaded guilty to the charge, was convicted on his own plea. However the court deferred the sentence for the investigator to bring the forensic report of the leaves.

The court presided over by Mr Aboagye Tandor remanded the convict and deferred the sentence to October 6.

The facts of the case as presented by Police Chief Inspector Kwabena Adu are that, the complainant is a procurement officer at High Gate Hotel located at Asylum Down, while the convict is a student of the Ghana Telecom University, Tesano, and a National of Cameroon.

He said on September 18, the convict booked a room at the complainant's hotel for two days.

On the first night at about 2200 hours a security guard on duty at the Hotel detected smoke coming out of Frutashi's room.

The prosecution said the window of the room was forced opened by the security guard and saw the convict deeply asleep whilst the room was on fire. The Ghana National Fire Service was contacted and the personnel came to quench the fire.

He told the court that properties worth GH¢11,674.50 were destroyed by the fire. When the fire personnel were checking the damaged items in the room, a quantity of dried leaves was found in the room, and the convict admitted ownership.

Police Chief Inspector Adu said a complainant was made and the convict was arrested by the Police together with the stuff.

GNA