Farmer fined Ghc 800.00 for stealing 507 mangoes

An Aflao Circuit court has slapped a Ghc 800.00 fine on George Makuvia, 40, a farmer for stealing 507 pieces of mangoes.

Makuvia, who committed the crime with his sister-in-law, now on the run, pleaded guilty to abetment of crime.

He would go to prison for eight months if he is unable to pay the fine.

Mr Stephen Wuni, a Detective Police Inspector at Aflao told the court presided over by Mr Yaw Owuahene-Acheampong that, the complainant Simon Miles Barkar, a farmer at Avoeme, a suburb of Aflao, owned a mango plantation at nearby Pokuime, where Makuvia and his brother’s wife Afi Makuvia lived.

He said the complainant’s wife, who was returning from jogging at about 0600 hours on Saturday May 18, this year, detected that some thieves had again entered the plantation and plucked some of the fruits.

Mr Wuni said the woman later found four head loads of mangoes in Afi’s compound and alerted the complainant leading to Makuvia’s arrest, but Afi bolted.

He said Makuvia, during interrogation, insisted on his innocence but was exposed when three pieces of the mangoes were found in his pocket at the police station.

Meanwhile, the convict, who could not meet the fine has commenced the eight months prison term at Ho.