Galamsey operator jailed 18 months for stealing iPhone

The Tarkwa District Magistrate Court Two has sentenced an 18‑year‑old illegal miner, Theophilus Fameye, to 18 months imprisonment with hard labour for stealing an iPhone 11 valued at GH¢2,600 from a student.

Fameye pleaded guilty to charges of unlawful entry and stealing.

Prosecuting, Police Inspector Patrick Essien told the court, presided over by Isaac Osei Asare, that the complainant, Stephen Omare, is a student residing at Bompieso in the Western region.

On Monday, January 12, 2026, at about 10:00 p.m., the complainant left his iPhone 11 charging in his room but forgot to lock the door. Because his fan was not working, he decided to sleep in his father’s room, which is adjacent to his.

Inspector Essien said that at about 7:00 a.m. the following morning, the complainant returned to his room and discovered that the phone had been stolen. He and his father attempted calling the device using the father’s phone, but it was switched off.

Later, they received a tip‑off that Fameye, who lived in the same vicinity, had taken the phone. They went to his house and demanded the device. Fameye entered his room, retrieved the phone, and handed it over.

He was subsequently escorted to the Aboso Police Station, where the complainant lodged a formal complaint.