Cable Thief Gets 18 Months

The Winneba Magistrate Court has sentenced an unemployed 31-year-old man, Kobina Essoun, to 18 months in prison for stealing electrical cables.

He was charged on two counts of being in a premises for unlawful purpose and stealing, contrary to section 124 sub section 1 of Act 2960 of the Criminal Offence Act.

Essoun, a native of Winneba, pleaded guilty on count one with an explanation which was not sustained, and was subsequently convicted and sentenced to ten months in prison.

He again pleaded guilty with explanation on the second count that was also dismissed and was convicted and sentenced to 8 months in prison.

Narrating the facts of the case before the court presided over by Mr Isaac Apeatu, the prosecution, led by Police Inspector Peter Agbelie said the complainant of the case is one Mr David Johnson, the caretaker of an uncompleted storey building located at Low Cost, a suburb of Winneba.

He said on January 16, the complainant left the premises and returned around 2pm and saw the convict in the building with a pair of pliers cutting electrical cables that had been laid through the conduit pipes in the structure.

Inspector Agbelie said when the complainant confronted the convict he could not give any tangible reason for his actions.

He said the complainant, together with some neighbours, effected a citizen's arrest and sent the suspect to the police station.

Inspector Agbelie said when the convict was interrogated, he claimed that he had been going round in search of construction work without any luck.

He then came to the uncompleted house and realized that it did not have any electricity.

The Prosecution then said he entered and started cutting the electrical cables which were laid through conduit pipes when the complainant came and met him.

He led the police to the scene and demonstrated how he entered the building and started cutting the cables.

After investigation he was arraigned before for the court charged with the offences, the prosecution added.