Court sentence student to eights years imprisonment

Mr David Mork, a student was on Monday sentenced to eight years imprisonment by an Accra Circuit Court for setting his friend’s house ablaze at Abeka Lapaz, Accra.

Mr Mork was said to have accused his friend Mr Patrick Asante of advising he (Mork)’s fiancée to jilt him.

Mork, charged with causing unlawful harm and damage pleaded guilty and the court presided over by Mrs Ivy Heward-Mills convicted him on his own plea.

The case as presented by Chief Inspector B.O Yeboah was that Mork and Mr Asante are friends residing at Ashalley Botwe and Abeka Lapaz in Accra.

According to the Chief Inspector Yeboah, it was Mr Asante who even assisted Mork to gain admission at Accra Polytechnic last year.

At about 2130 hours on March 30, Mork sent a text message to Mr Asante accusing him of advising his fiancée to jilt him and for that matter he (Mork) was going to burn his house.

Chief Inspector Yeboah said Mr Asante on reading the text message did not take the issue serious and went to bed with his wife.

According to prosecution, after sending the text, Mork went to a filling station and purchased GH¢ 6.00 cedis worth of petrol and proceeded to Mr Asante’s house and sprinkled it around the house and set it ablaze.

Prosecution said Mr Asante however woke up only to see his porch in flames so his wife with their blankets wrapped around them, managed to run through the flames.

Mr Asante and his wife sustained degrees of injuries.

Prosecution said Mr Asante raised the alarm and personnel of the Ghana National Fire Service were telephoned to intervene.

Later, Mr Asante went to report the matter to the Police and Mork was arrested on April 2, and during interrogation he admitted the offence.**