Criminal curses prosecutors in court

Dormaa-Ahenkro (B/A), July 20, GNA - The Dormaa Circuit Court in the Dormaa Municipality was thrown into state of laughter when a 26-year Ndego Amana, who was sentenced to 24 year jail term, started cursing the prosecutors for dragging him to court.

"I assure you that by the time I would complete my 24 year-jail term, all of you would be dead by the grace of God," Ndego shouted at the prosecutors as he was being led away to begin his sentence at the Sunyani Prisons.

The court presided by Mr Isaac Bright Akwantey slapped the sentence on Ndego on three counts of unlawful entry, stealing a single barreled gun and GH¢60, possessing a locally manufactured pistol with four rounds of ammunition.

Police Inspector George Kumah told the court that Ndego was a notorious thief, who constantly harassed innocent residents at Nyamebekyere, a farming community near Nkrankwanta.

He said on July 6, this year at about 1030 hours, a couple on their return from farm found a pair of slippers, a sharp knife and a small but sharp iron rod in their summer hut and immediately suspected the presence of an intruder.

Inspector Kumah said the wife detected that one of their windows was wide open so she peeped through and found Ndego scampering through their personal belongings in the bedroom.

He said the couple raised an alarm but Ndego quickly snatched a single barreled gun in the room and threatened to shoot anyone who dared to approach him.

The prosecutor said people, who had rushed to the place as a result of the alarm, decided to report the case to the police but before the police arrived Ndego had bolted with the gun and an unspecified amount of money.

He said when the police arrested him later they found on him a locally manufactured pistol and four rounds of ammunition, which he claimed ownership of and led the police to an uncompleted building where he retrieved the single barreled gun and part of the stolen money.

Ndego was arrested the same day in the bedroom of one David Damoah in the same community attempting to steal his belongings.

Inspector Kumah also informed the court that Ndego was suspected of involving himself in 16 other theft cases in the area.

Sentencing him, the judge said, he took into account the rate and regularity of the criminal's behaviour, which Ndego had admitted and stated the need to keep such a person far away from peaceful communities not only to guarantee comfort to the people but also to flush out people like him.

In a related development, the court also slapped a GH¢100 fine or in default three months imprisonment in hard labour on Eric Darko, an unemployed ex-convict, who regularly stole fowls from poultry farms in and around Yaakrom in Dormaa Municipality.

Darko's accomplice, Kwasi Yeboah, who pleaded not guilty to a charge linking him to the ex-convict's nefarious activities, was however granted a GH¢ 500 bail with one surety to reappear before the court on July 26 this year.

Inspector Kumah told the court that the complainant, Kofi Mensah, was a renowned poultry farmer at Yaakrom while the accused, who completed a jail sentence recently, hopped from one poultry farm to the other stealing fowls.

He said on July 7 this year at about 1030 hours while workers were busily attending to their duties, the accused sneaked into one of the coops, strangled three fowls, and kept the carcasses with Kwasi Yeboah.

Inspector Kumah said the suspect not satisfied went back to the farm to strangle more birds but luck ran out on him and he was arrested by the workers on the farm, who handed him over to the police.

Inspector Kumah said during interrogation the suspect mentioned Kwasi Yeboah as his accomplice, who usually organised the sale of all his "goods" leading to the arrest and prosecution of the latter.

He told the court that when Yeboah was arrested he confessed his involvement in the theft and led the police to a spot where two of the dead fowls were retrieved.