Farmer remanded for destroying 12 acre watermelon farm

The Juaso Circuit Court has ordered into prison custody a 48-year-old farmer who allegedly destroyed a 12-acre watermelon plantation belonging to another farmer.

Yaw Antwi, the accused who pleaded not guilty to causing unlawful damage, would come back to court on August 15.

Police Chief Inspector Leo Boateng, prosecuting, told the court presided over by Mr Alex Obeng Asante that both the complainant, Joshua Darko and the accused live at Mankalla, a farming community near Juaso.

He said the complainant in June acquired the 12-acre land to cultivate watermelon from one Nana Atta, the Odikro of Mankalla who is also the uncle of the accused.

Weeks later after the complainant acquired the land, the accused went to the site where he met the complainant working and asked him to quit the place because the land belonged to him.

The complainant went back to the Odikro who confirmed that the land indeed belonged to the accused, but asked the complainant to continue his work, and promised to talk to the accused.

With that assurance from the odikro, the complainant continued working on the land until the plants started yielding fruits when the accused went behind him and ploughed the entire land with a tractor.

The complainant subsequently reported the case to the Police who arrested the accused and arraigned him.