Woman trickster fined

Techiman (B/A), July 6, GNA - A magistrate court in Techiman has imposed a one million cedi fine on Gladys Asantewaa, a 31 year old trader in Techiman for defrauding by false pretences.

Gladys who was also ordered to pay a three million cedi compensation to the victim of her fraud pleaded guilty. She will go to prison for six months in hard labour if she fails to pay the fine and the compensation to the complainant, Madam Mari Taboyaa, a konkonte (dried cassava chips) seller at the Techiman Market.

Police Chief Inspector Ibrahim Opoku, prosecuting, told the court presided by Mr George Kruffah Addae that in December 2005, the accused contacted Madam Taboyaa to help her to collect 10 bags of konkonte and that she would pay back in a few days. He said Taboyaa obliged and led her to collect the 10 bags of the commodity but the latter did not honour her promise and went into hiding for five months.

A driver who transported the commodity to Accra was later identified and he subsequently led the complainant to arrest the accused at her hideout.

In her explanation Gladys said the person who bought the chips from her in Accra had bolted without paying her. Sentencing the accused, the presiding magistrate remarked that the explanation of the accused did not merit the charge of fraud and considered her to be a trickster.

The same court slapped a two-year jail term in hard labour on a 49-year-old farmer at Forikrom for stealing 60 tubers of yam valued at one million cedis.

Mumuni Beleyala pleaded guilty to the charge of stealing the yams belonging to Opanin Braima H Joha, a retired Police Sergeant-Major. Prosecuting, Chief Inspector Ibrahim Opoku told the court presided by Mr George Kruffah Addae that the former police officer used to engage the accused to work on his farm.

Chief Inspector Opoku said the complainant later experienced thefts on his farm and informed his fellow farmers around him. He said on June 23 this year, at about 0845 hours, Opanin Joha went to the farm and detected that some yams had been harvested and traced the footprints of the accused to his girl friend's house. There, he saw four tubers of yams and when questioned, she said the accused had brought them to her and led the police to arrest him. Beleyala pleaded with the court to deal leniently with him but the presiding magistrate sentenced him to serve as a deterrent to like-minded persons.

He ordered that the four tubers of yam retrieved from the girl friend be given to complainant. Mr George Kruffah Addae also sentenced a 25-year-old unemployed to a two-year jail term in hard labour for stealing a quantity of cocoyams. Simon Akwasi pleaded guilty to the charge of stealing the produce belonging to Mr Yaw Takyi, a farmer. Chief Inspector Ibrahim Opoku told the court that on June 26 this year, Mr Takyi went to his farm and caught Akwasi busily harvesting his cocoyam and reported the matter to the police.