Man, 28, jailed four years for fraud

A 28-year old illegal miner, George Johnson Quansah, has been sentenced to 4 years imprisonment in hard labour for defrauding by false pretence.

Quansah pleaded guilty.

Chief Inspector Edward Paddy told the court presided over by Mr. Samuel Obeng Diawuo that the complainant resided at Jerusalem, a suburb of Tarkwa and the convict is a squatter at Tarkwa Railway station.

He said on April 16, the complainant met the convict in front of the Ramsbeth super market in Tarkwa and introduced himself as a stranger from Prestea who had been sent by his father to sell gold and diamond at the First Samuel shop of the area.

Chief Inspector Paddy said the convict then asked the complainant to direct him to the First Samuel shop but the complainant said he was also a stranger in Tarkwa and hence did not know the shop.

He said in the process, a colleague of the convict emerged from nowhere and told him that he could direct him to the shop and when the convict left to the shop, his colleague engaged the complainant in a conversation and within some few minutes, the convict came back and claimed he had sold the diamond and that he was left with the gold which he wanted to share it to them.

Chief Inspector Paddy said the convict requested from the complainant to bring any money on him to enable him place his gold on the money for it to double.

He said the complainant gave him GH?170 while the colleague added GH?800 and the convict told the complainant to expect him on April 17.

Chief Inspector Paddy said when they met on the agreed day around 1030 hours, he led the complainant to Life motors on the Tarkwa-Takoradi highway and asked him to bring all the money on him together with his mobile phone.

He said the complainant gave him GH?350 and his Tecno mobile phone valued GH?100 after which he gave the complainant a sealed polythene bag and asked him to open it after three days.

Chief Inspector Paddy said the complainant after receiving the polythene wanted to remove his SIM card from his phone and to his surprise, he found papers cut in the form of money in an envelope and a stone in the polythene.

The Prosecutor said on that same day, around 1300 hours, the complainant spotted Quansah at the Ramsbeth supermarket and he raised an alarm which attracted several people to the scene subjecting him to severe beating.

He said a police officer appeared at the scene and rescued him from the mob.**