Farmer jailed for unlawfully harming illegal miner

A 31-year-old farmer, Charles Okine, has been sentenced to five years imprisonment in hard labour by a Tarkwa circuit court for intentionally and unlawfully causing harm to Kofi Mensah, an illegal miner.

He pleaded guilty.

Prosecuting Detective Chief Inspector Oscar Amponsah told the court presided over by Mr. Samuel Obeng Diawuo that both the complainant and the convict lived at Mankaessim village near Tarkwa.

He said on November 30, a misunderstanding ensued between the two resulting in a scuffle but those around separated them and they went their separate ways.

According to Detective Amponsah, few minutes later Okine went home, armed himself with a cutlass and slashed the complainant’s right shoulder. The Prosecutor said people got hold of the cutlass from the convict who later abscond and went into hiding.

Detective Amponsah said the complainant went to the Tarkwa Government Hospital and later reported the matter to the police.

He said on December 11, the convict returned to Mankessim and he was arrested and handed over to the police by the unit committee members of the village.