Private Security Man Jailed For Possessing Ak47

An Accra Circuit Court was yesterday told of how a former employee of Intercom Security, an Accra-based security firm, smartly dressed in military fatigues and wielding an AK 47 assault rifle subjected police recruits at the Koforidua Police Depot to a rigorous military drill for failing to give him the respect due a serving military officer.

The imposter, Stephan Lartey, was charged with five counts of possession of a firearm without authority, possessing military accoutrements, posing as a public officer, assault and transfer of firearm without authority. He has, therefore, been sentenced to 24 months imprisonment on the charges by the circuit tribunal presided over by Mrs. Anderson Yeboah.

Lartey, who was standing trial along with Major (rtd) Ebenezer Ogun, pleaded guilty to the charges while Ogun was fined ?500,000 or in default serve a one month prison term for the transfer of the rifle. Presenting the facts of the case as to how the convict got access to the rifle, Chief Inspector Antwi told the court that Lartey developed an acquaintanceship with the Major and introduced himself as a soldier at a drinking bar and subsequently Lartey began to visit the Major in his house.

Prosecution said that Lartey during one of his visits to the retired Major\'s residence took the rifle from the bedroom of the Major under the pretext of going to use the it to guard the house of the retired army officer, but later bolted with it. Narrating how the convict came by the military uniform, Chief Inspector Antwi said that the convict had lived in Burma Camp, Accra, with one Lance Corporal Kingsley Banfo of the Air Force Station.

While there, he managed to acquire the military accoutrements - four pairs of trousers, one military T-shirt, boots and singlets. Chief Inspector Antwi said luck was not on the side of the accused on his subsequent operations. He explained that after he had successfully subjected the police recruits in Koforidua to a very vigorous military drill, he came to Accra to vent his military type of discipline on the people.

The prosecution said that early this month, the convict got peeved that tenants have stolen his military boots and he therefore took the law in his own hand by threatening the residents to produce his boots or face the taste of his military discipline but his co-tenants swiftly reported him to the police. Counsel for the retired major pleaded with the court to have mercy on their client who they said is diabetic. The court in passing sentence ordered that the military and the AK 47 should be given back to the state.

Presenting the facts of the case as to how the convict got access to the rifle, Chief Inspector Antwi told the court that Lartey developed an acquaintanceship with the Major and introduced himself as a soldier at a drinking bar and subsequently Lartey began to visit the Major in his house.

Prosecution said that Lartey during one of his visits to the retired Major\'s residence took the rifle from the bedroom of the Major under the pretext of going to use the it to guard the house of the retired army officer, but later bolted with it.

Narrating how the convict came by the military uniform, Chief Inspector Antwi said that the convict had lived in Burma Camp, Accra, with one Lance Corporal Kingsley Banfo of the Air Force Station. While there, he managed to acquire the military accoutrements - four pairs of trousers, one military T-shirt, boots and singlets.

Chief Inspector Antwi said luck was not on the side of the accused on his subsequent operations. He explained that after he had successfully subjected the police recruits in Koforidua to a very vigorous military drill, he came to Accra to vent his military type of discipline on the people.

The prosecution said that early this month, the convict got peeved that tenants have stolen his military boots and he therefore took the law in his own hand by threatening the residents to produce his boots or face the taste of his military discipline but his co-tenants swiftly reported him to the police.

Counsel for the retired major pleaded with the court to have mercy on their client who they said is diabetic.

The court in passing sentence ordered that the military and the AK 47 should be given back to the state.