Electricity cable thief jailed 6 years

A Keta Circuit Court presided over by Mr Kwame Polley has sentenced one Bessa Achikpoh to six years imprisonment for stealing electricity cable.

Achikpoh was found guilty on all three counts and will serve the sentence in hard labour on each, to run concurrently, while a bench warrant was issued for a second accused, Daniel Ashie who absconded during the arrest.

The two were accused of conspiring to cause unlawful damage and stealing property belonging to the Electricity Company of Ghana Limited (ECG).

The prosecution said, on December 24, 2014, Achikpoh, stole and damaged low voltage copper conductors at Tegbi in the Volta Region belonging to ECG and proceeded to Anloga on December 25, with three containers stuffed with pieces of cut cables to sell.

The prosecution said upon tip-off, ECG alerted the Police that the cables, which had previously been reported stolen by the Company, had been offered for sale to a scrap dealer at Anfoega.

The prosecution said the scrap dealer was advised by officials of ECG to ask the sellers to return in the evening for weighing and pricing of the goods.

The prosecution said a team of personnel from the Ghana Police Service then laid ambush and arrested the two when they went to the scrap dealer’s shop to weigh and sell the stolen cables.

Achikpoh, earlier pleaded for mitigation saying, his wife just delivered and said he had the responsibility towards the innocent child and that he was a first time offender.