Kade labourer in hot waters after mourning the late President

A labourer, who with friends went on drinking spree during the funeral of President J.E.A Mills, was found fast asleep in another man’s room in the early hours of the next day.

But he had beside him a bag of the occupants of the room, packed with a number of items.

Bernard Ohene Ntow, the sleeping labourer was soon arrested by the Police, processed for court and charged with attempting to commit crime and stealing.

Chief Inspector Francis Cobbina told the Kade District Magistrate Court presided over by Mr. Abdul Majid Iliasu, that both the complainant, Joshua Ametepe and the accused lived at Okumaning near Kade.

He said on August 11, at about 10 p.m., the complainant retired to bed and woke up around 4 a.m., to find someone fast asleep at a corner of the room with his bag containing some items, including pressing iron, Bible, video cassette and a belt.

He said on seeing the sleeping intruder, he reported the matter to the Assemblyman who with some members of the Unit Committee went into the room to awake the suspect, arrested him and handed him over to the police.

Chief Inspector Cobbina said during interrogation, the accused said he was drunk and did not know how he got into the complainant’s room.

He said he and his friends started drinking from the morning till night and became sober only when he got to the Police station.

The accused told the court that three days in police cell had taught him a useful lesson, but if not for going on drinking spree he would not have been before the court.

When the judge asked the complainant whether he was convinced that the accused entered the room with intent to steal, he answered in the affirmative.

Mr. Iliasu again asked the complainant if he had more valuable things in his room than what the accused was said to have stolen, he said yes.

The judge then remarked that in his eight years service on the bench, he had not heard a story like that before.

Though the accused pleaded guilty with explanation, the court entered a plea of not guilty for him and granted him bail of GH¢500 with a surety to re-appear on August 24.