Driver jailed six months for stealing charcoal

Tetteh David Asare, a 32-year-old driver at Agomanya, a suburb of Odumase Krobo, has been jailed six months by the Odumase Krobo Circuit Court for stealing charcoal worth GH¢50 belonging to Gladys Tetteh.

The presiding judge, Mr Asmah Akwasi Asiedu, ordered the police to return the retrieved charcoal to the complainant.

ASP Richmond Akwasi Yeboah said the complainant, who lived at Hwekpe, a suburb of Odumase Krobo, sold charcoal in front of her house which was near the roadside.

He said Ms Tetteh, for six months now, had suffered continuous theft of some bags of her charcoal without any trace of the thief. That, he explained to the court, had caused a rift between Ms Tetteh and her business partner who supplied her charcoal in large quantities.

The prosecutor said as a result of the continuous theft of her charcoal, Ms Tetteh was compelled to keep watch over the charcoal especially at night and at dawn to catch the thieves.

He said on November 27, 2013, at about 4 a.m., Ms Tetteh woke up as usual to go and find out if her products were intact.

Fortunately for her, ASP Yeboah said, she saw Asare carrying two bags of the charcoal to the roadside to board a taxi.

According to the prosecutor, Ms Tetteh then shouted for help and the taxi driver who was with Asare quickly unloaded a bag of charcoal which he had already put into the booth of the car and sped off, leaving Asare behind.

The prosecutor said Asare was accosted by some sympathisers around and was subsequently sent to the Odumase Krobo police station with the bags of charcoal.