Court jails labourer for stealing goods worth over GH¢120,000.00

An Accra Circuit Court on Monday sentenced a labourer to eight months imprisonment in hard labour for stealing items worth GH¢126,140.00.

Elias Kwasi Ametepe pleaded guilty to the charges and was convicted on his own plea.

In pleading for mitigation, Ametepe pleaded with the Court for leniency and asked for forgiveness from the complainant on his behalf.

Prosecuting, Police Chief Inspector Emmanuel Haligah told the Court presided over by Ms Ellen Asamoah that Madam Patience Ametepe, a businesswoman and resident at Weija in Accra, is the complainant whilst Elias Ametepe lived at Kasoa in the Central region.

He said the complainant, who is a sister to the convict introduced him to her friend, one Beatrice Otoo, resident in the United Kingdom (UK) and the owner of the items.

The Prosecution said Madam Otoo from time to time send down items such as building materials, washing machines, mower, professional microfibre clothes, professional vacuum cleaning machines, food items and detergents, employed Elias Ametepe as a caretaker in her house at Okpoi-Gono Spintex, in the Greater Accra.

He said that the items were sent through the complainant to be supplied to Madam Otoo’s friends but were kept in Ametepe’s care.

The prosecution said on May 30, 2020, the complainant visited her brother and when she took stock of the items she detected that two tonnes of professional cleaning chemicals, ten boxes of building tiles, 150 pieces of professional microfibre hygiene clothes, 12 industrial wet and dry vacuum cleaning machines, among others all valued at GH¢126,140.00 had been stolen by the convict.

Prosecution said a search in the convict’s room revealed some of the stolen items brought into the country by Madam Otoo from the UK.

He said this led to the arrest of the convict and in his cautioned statement, he confessed selling the items to people whom he could not identify.

He said after investigations the convict was charged and put before court.