Barber jailed five years for stealing

Cape Coast, Oct. 17, GNA - Kobina Ebow, a 23 year-old barber, was on Monday jailed five years in hard labour by a circuit court at Cape Coast for stealing a television set and 15 bottles of assorted alcoholic beverages from the house of Nana Apotoe II, Gyasihene of Asemase near Abakrampa.

Ebow, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal and stealing, was convicted on his own plea.

In the dock with Ebow on similar charges was Mohamed Razak, a farmer, who pleaded not guilty was remanded to reappear on October 31. Police Chief Inspector Ruben Dzogbeti, told the court presided over by Mr Mustapha Logoh, that the complainant lived in Takoradi, and had a house at the outskirts of Asemase, with one Gordon Kwesi Oto as the caretaker.

He said at about 1900 hours last Friday, Oto went to the house and detected it had been broken into and 15 bottles of assorted alcoholic beverages and a black and white television set had been stolen and made a report to the police. Chief inspector Dzogbeti said at about 2200 hours the same day, the police had information that the items were in Ebow's room and during a search there, the television set and three bottles of the drinks were found.

When he was questioned about the rest of the drinks, he mentioned Razak as his accomplice and led the police to his house where a bottle of the drink was found. Razak mentioned Ebow as the one who gave him the drinks. In a related development, an 18 year old unemployed man, Kwesi Mensah, wept bitterly when he was fined 2 million cedis by the same court for stealing the property of one Kojo Badu valued at 3.3 million cedis.

Mensah who pleaded guilty would go to prison for 12 months in default and was also bonded to be of good behaviour for two years or in default go to prison for one year. Police Chief Inspector Augustine Amonoo said Mensah went to Mr Badu's house at Ntranoa near Elmina in his absence broke into his room and stole the items, which include a travelling bag, Compact disc cassette player, cassettes and a 'T' shirt.