Re-captured teenagers sentenced

Wamfie (B/A) Jan. 27 GNA - A magistrate's court at Wamfie in the Dormaa District of Brong Ahafo has sentenced two of three teenagers re-captured after they had escaped from police cells at Nkrankwanta to three years imprisonment each.

The two, both below 17 years will serve their sentences at the Maamobi Borstal Institute in Accra.

The third, 14, deemed by the court to be too young to be sent to the Institute has been placed under the strict surveillance of the Dormaa District Office of the Department of Social Welfare. They were convicted on two counts of conspiracy to steal, stealing and escaping from lawful custody.

Giving the facts of the case, Inspector Jonathan Abdul-Sallam told the court presided by Mr Justice R. M. Kogyapwa that the boys were remanded in police cells at Nkrankwanta for allegedly stealing 1.3 million cedis, a piece of cloth from a tailor's shop and five bicycles whose owners could not be traced.

Inspector Abdul-Sallam said the three managed to break the cell walls and the handcuffs and proceeded to Berekum where they allegedly committed a similar crime.

He said a resident of Nkrankwanta spotted the teenagers and caused their subsequent arrest at Nsesereso on the Dormaa-Berekum trunk road.