Court remands casual labourers for attempting to stowaway

Takoradi, June 22, GNA - A circuit court "A" in Takoradi on Wednesday remanded 13 dock workers for attempting to stowaway, conspiracy to commit crime and unlawful entry.

They are Ebenezer Mensah, 24, Francis Atiso, 25, Alfred Assuman, 23, Alex Abraham Amoh, 23, Emmanuel Otoo, 28, and Richard Ato Darko, 25. The rest are Robert Amoah, 22, Mustapha Kadri, 28, Francis Awortwi, 24, Daniel Boateng, 23, Emmanuel Affum, 24, Samuel Asafuah, 28 and Thomas Agyei, 29.

The pleas of the suspects, who were casual labourers of the Ghana Dock Labour Company at the Takoradi Port, were not taken.

Police Inspector Theodore Alhassan, told the court that on June 17, this year, M/V VERA "D", a foreign cargo vessel, arrived at the Port to load and off-load containers.

The prosecution said Mensah and Atiso had a hint of the arrival of the vessel, which would return to Europe.

Insp. Alhassa said the suspects entered the harbour by a hired canoe from New Takoradi, sneaked into the vessel with the aid of a bamboo and hid in one of the hatches.

He said, Assuamn, Amoh, Otoo, Darko, Amoah, Awortwi, Boateng and Affum also individually outwitted security personnel at the Port, sneaked into the vessel and hid in a hatch.

Insp. Alhassan said Kadri, who was lawfully booked for duty on the vessel, failed to go out after close of work, and instead hid in the hatch adding that Assuah and Agyei also hid in a life boat.

The prosecution said the crew on the vessel searched and found the suspects hatchers when they (crew) detected usual noise in the vessel. Insp. Alhassan said the suspects were arrested and handed over to the Police.

The court heard that investigations by the Police revealed that Darko and Kadri have been bonded to be of good behaviour for 12 months for similar offence by a circuit court 93B" in Takoradi.