Unemployed gets 10 years for stealing, escaping from Police cells

An unemployed man who escaped from the Achimota Police cells while he was awaiting trial in a stealing case was on Wednesday sentenced to

10 years' imprisonment in hard labour when he appeared before a Circuit Court in Accra.

Alhassan Mohammed, charged with causing unlawful damage and entry, stealing and escaping from lawful custody, pleaded guilty.

The court, presided over Mrs Ivy Heward Mills therefore convicted him on his own plea.

Chief Inspector Ben Darfour, the prosecutor, told the court that at about 0600 hours on August 19, last year, the complainants, Mr. Lawrence Dogbe, Mr Emmanuel Dogbe and Philomena Esenam Tornudey, who live in the same house at West Legon, locked their doors and left for work.

On their return in the evening, they found that their rooms had been broken into.

The complainant discovered that items valued at GH¢ 300, including seven pairs of jeans trousers, eight shirts, three half-pieces of wax prints and a travelling bag were missing.

The prosecution said on August 25, the complainants spotted one Rojar, a relative of Mohammed, wearing one of the jeans and he was apprehended.

Rojar led the complainants to Mohammed who was also seen wearing some of the stolen items.

Mohammed led the Police to his hideout where more of the stolen items were retrieved.

The prosecution said while the Police were preparing to put Mohammed before the court, he broke the wall behind the Achimota Police cells and escaped.

The Police arrested him at Christian Village, near the Achimota School, for snatching a lady's hand bag.