Farmer jailed five years for stealing a goat

The Asamankese Circuit Court on Wednesday sentenced Kofi Eduful, a 23-year-old farmer to five years imprisonment in hard labour for stealing his landlord's goat to enable him to raise money to abort his girlfriend's pregnancy.

Eduful's girlfriend, who delivered only eight months ago, got pregnant again and she insisted that the convict should abort it.

Eduful in his distress decided to steal the landlord's goat valued at GH¢60 to raise funds to meet the girl's demand.

Unluckily for him, he was arrested and later put before the court, where he pleaded guilty and begged for leniency, saying, he stole the goat to raise money for the abortion to have his peace.

Police Chief Inspector Joseph Idan, prosecuting, told the court presided over by Mr Kofi Akrowiah, that on June 11 last year, Eduful was spotted by the roadside at Odjarde village near Asamankese looking for a vehicle to board.

He was holding a he-goat tied to a rope and when members of the village's unit Committee questioned him about the goat, he said he had bought it from someone at Nyinafunso and was sending it to Asamankese.

The prosecutor said the complainants who were not convinced by the answer arrested him.

Eduful struggled with the complainants and attempted to escape but he was over-powered and sent to the unit Committee Chairman's house where he admitted stealing the animal from his landlord's pen at Nyinafunso.

Eduful was handed over to the Asamankese police station together with the goat.

During interrogation, he admitted the offence and was arraigned before the court.

The Judge congratulated the unit committee members for their effectiveness and vigilance and gave them five Ghana Cedis as their reward.