Boy, 18 fined one million cedis for stealing

Offinso (Ash), June 15, GNA - A circuit court at Offinso on Monday sentenced a 18-year-old boy, Kwaku Okyere, a mason to a fine of one million cedis or in default one year imprisonment for stealing five bags of Ghacem cement belonging to the Ntribuoho community in the Kwabre district.

The court presided over by Mr Justice A.A. Abanga, convicted the accused on his own plea of guilty to the charge.

Passing sentence, Justice Abanga said the court was lenient to him because he is very young and that the offence might have been his first. Prosecuting, Police Chief Inspector Anthony Asaah told the court that the complainant is the Assembly member for Ntribuoho electoral area and Okyere is also a resident at Ntribuoho.

Chief Inspector Asaah said somewhere last month, the community purchased 50 bags of cement and kept them in the custody of the assemblyman.

He said on June 11, this year, the assemblyman detected that three bags of the cement had been stolen and therefore started making his own investigations.

Chief Inspector Asaah said the following day at about 2300 hours, the complainant again detected that two more bags of the cement were missing so he decided to lay ambush for the rest of the night and at about 0030 hours, he saw somebody approaching the house and when the person attempted to pick a bag, he shouted at him.

He said the accused left the bag and took to his heels and the assemblyman gave him a hot chase and with the help of others, arrested him.

The prosecutor said after the arrest, Okyere led the complainant to retrieve the five bags and after that he was handed over to the police at Kodie.