Labourer jailed for stealing palm fruits

A farm labourer, Mahama Zackaria, who stole 72 bunches of palm fruits, has been sentenced to a fine of GhC960.00 by a Kade District Court.

In default, Zacharia, who pleaded not guilty, will serve eight months in prison in hard labour.

Prosecuting, Detective Chief Inspector Isaac Owusu Achiaw told the Court, presided over by Ms Felicia Anane Antwi, that the complainant, Yaw Darko and the accused lived at Kwae, where Darko harvested 72 bunches of palm fruits on May 23 and kept them on his oil palm plantation.

Darko later contracted one Kwaku Aboagye, a driver, to convey the palm fruits to his house, but due to the bad nature of the road, the driver’s vehicle got stuck, hence could not get to the farm to convey the fruits.

On May 30, the accused, who knew that the harvested palm fruits were in the farm, hired a tricycle there and collected all the fruits, which he sold to one Adwoa Serwaa, a witness in the case, for GhC600.00.

The complainant later detected the theft and conducted his personal investigation and found the palm fruits in the house of Serwaa.

The complainant confronted Serwaa who mentioned the accused as the one who sold them to her and the two reported the matter to the police, leading to the arrest of Zacharia.

On interrogation, the accused admitted the offence.