Court sentences driver for stealing from passenger

An Accra Circuit Court, on Monday, fined a driver, Isaac Cudjoe, 250 penalty units (equivalent to GHC3,000.00) for stealing a travelling bag containing items valued at GH¢35,610.00, from his passenger.

In default, Cudjoe, would serve 24 months in prison.

Cudjoe pled guilty to the offence, thus he was convicted on his own plea.

After his conviction, the Court, presided over by Mrs Susana Eduful, deferred his sentence and remanded him into police custody.

The Court asked the Police to release all the items retrieved from him to the complainant.

Prosecuting, Police Inspector Samuel Ahiabor, told the Court that Mr Kwame Appiah-Kubi, the complainant, was a trader who lived at Bantama, a suburb of Kumasi, in the Ashanti Region.

Cudjoe was also a taxi driver and a resident of Otinibi in the Greater Accra Region.

On November 26, 2019, at about 2300 hours, Mr Appiah-Kubi picked up some parcels in five different travelling bags at the Kotoka International Airport sent to him from Germany.

Inspector Ahiabor said after picking the parcels, he hired Cudjoe from the Airport First Bus Stop to the VIP Bus Terminal at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle, in Accra.

When Cudjoe was loading the five bags into his cab, he put four bags on the back seat and one in the boot.

Inspector Ahiabor said when they got to the VIP Bus Terminal, Cudjoe however, discharged only four of the bags, leaving the one he stored in the boot.

That bag contained assorted items valued at GH¢35,610.00.

They included four pieces of S9 Samsung Chrome mobile phones valued at GH¢21,600.00; eight pieces of Zara men’s body spray valued at GH¢1,512.00; a quantity of children’s dresses and shoes valued GH¢6,000.00.

There were also three wrist watches valued GH¢942.00; six Sure deodorants valued GH¢75.00; six Holland wax prints valued GH¢942.00; and seven ladies’ dresses valued GH¢1,445.00.

The rest were three ladies’ jump suits valued GH¢282.00, a travelling bag valued GH¢300.00, and some cash of 400 Euros equivalent to GH¢2,512.00.

Inspector Ahiabor said when the complainant got to Kumasi and realized that he had left one of the bags in the cab, he came back to Accra and reported the case to the Airport Police.

He said the Police circulated the model and registration number of Cudjoe’s cab within the Region for assistance to trace Cudjoe but to no avail.

He said on January 18, 2020, Cudjoe was spotted at the Airport First Bus Stop, driving a different taxi cab, but he was arrested.

The prosecution said during investigations the convict led the Police to his residence at Otinibi, where the travelling bag and some children’s dresses were retrieved.