Fake doctor jailed for impersonation and stealing

Accra, Oct. 29, GNA - A musician who posed as a medical doctor and succeeded in stealing a mobile phone and 190,000 cedis belonging to a taxi driver was on Monday sentenced to five years' imprisonment in hard labour by a Circuit Court in Accra.

William Dapatum had initially been jailed for four years but he was called back by the judge after he had made a comment and slapped with another one year.

Dapatum pleaded guilty to the charges and the court convicted him accordingly.

Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) George Abavelim told the court that last month, the complainant, Mr Samuel Dodoo, a taxi cab driver, parked his taxi at the Ridge Hospital when the accused emerged from the VIP ward and requested to be taken to Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.

According to the prosecutor Dapatum had told the complainant that he was a "medical doctor" who was attending to an emergency case at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital. As a result Dapatum drove at top speed to Korle Bu, while tooting his horn.

On the way, Dapatum asked for Mr Dodoo's mobile phone to make a call because he had forgotten his at his consulting room. When they got to Korle Bu, the Dapatum got down asked the driver to wait and take him to Kaneshie Polyclinic, 37 Military Hospital and back to Ridge Hospital where he would pick his car. ASP Abavelim said on their way to the Kaneshie Polyclinic, Dapatum asked Mr Dodoo to give him 190,000 cedis to purchase some commodities for the house.

When Dapatum reached the Kaneshie Market, he alighted and under the pretext of buying the items disappeared with the money and the phone. On October 24, this year Mr Dodoo spotted Dapatum at Ridge Hospital and raised the alarm and he was apprehended.