Auto mechanic jailed two years for stealing

Andrews Smith, an auto mechanic who broke into an uncompleted building at Roman Ridge and stole electrical cables valued at GH¢7,000 was on Thursday sentenced to two years imprisonment by an Accra Circuit Court.

Smith was convicted on his own plea for unlawful entry and stealing.

Police Chief Inspector Adamu M. Awal, prosecuting, said the complainant was a watchman employed by Mr. Duodoo who resides in London to supervise the construction of his building at Roman Ridge.

He said Matilda Asiamah, a sister of Duodoo was the caretaker of the building and responsible for the purchase of building materials for the project and the accused lived in a family house at Abelenkpe.

The prosecution said about a year ago, thieves went to the building site and stole all the electrical cables.

A report was made to the Kotobabi Police by Matilda but no one was arrested.

Chief Inspector Awal said on July 1, this year, at about 12:20pm while the complainant was sitting in front of his wooden shed and watching the compound of the building, he saw Smith carrying a black bag containing something at his back.

He said the complainant raised the alarm and the accused quickly took to his heels, jumped the fence wall into an adjoining house where he was arrested with the help of a Policeman on duty at the Tent City Police Post and escorted to the Kotobabi Police station.

The prosecution said the complainant called Matilda on phone in Kumasi and told her what had happened and she instructed him to lodge a complaint on her behalf.

Chief Inspector Awal said after the complainant had been lodged, the complaint returned to the site and found that the cables were those the caretaker had bought for wiring the building.

He said Matilda went to the Kotobabi Police station and identified the cables as hers and gave the value as GH¢7,000.**