49-year old businessman sentenced for defrauding by false pretense

Takoradi, June 9, GNA 97 A 49-year old businessman, Kwame Ocran, alias Kwame Agyemang, was on Wednesday sentenced to sign a bond to be of good behavior for six months or serve three months in prison.

He pleaded guilty to the charge of defrauding by false pretense and pleaded with the court for forgiveness.

Inspector Veronica Tibson told a Takoradi Circuit court that, the complainant is a taxi driver residing at Sofokrom whilst the convict is a businessman residing at Palm Land Estates.

She said on June 2, Ocran hired the complainant to take him to Tarkwa and back and therefore the complainant charged him GH¢60.00 for the trip. Upon reaching Tarkwa, the convict told the complainant to speed up because he is rather going to Sefwi-Wiawso.

Due to the poor nature of the road, they got to Sefwi-Wiawso late in the evening and Ocran slept in an uncompleted building which he claimed ownership while the complainant slept in the taxi cab.

The next day, the convict asked the complainant to take him to his wife's hometown which is about five mile from Sefwi-Wiawso. After that, they started the journey back to Takoradi. All these while, the convict had not paid the fare to the complainant.

The complainant demanded payment for the trip but Ocran told him to drive him to Wassa Amenfi Rural Bank in order to collect money from the bank manager to pay him.

Upon reaching the bank, the convict went to the bank manager's office and returned with an excuse that, the bank manager was not around.

They continued the journey back to Takoradi but the convict failed to pay the fare. The complainant therefore reported Ocran to the police and he was arrested and prosecuted.

At the court, he was rescued by a pharmacist in Takoradi who paid GH¢180.00 as the accumulated fare for the trip to the complainant.