Two fined for stealing

A Tarkwa Circuit Court has fined two illegal miners a total of GH¢1,200.00 each, for conspiracy to commit crime and stealing.

In default, the convicts would serve six months each imprisonment in hard labour.

The convicts, Peter Adamadzi, 32, and Eric Kwaw, 22, pleaded guilty to the charges.

Presenting the facts of the case, Detective Chief Inspector Oscar Amponsah told the Court that the complainants were policemen based at Tarkwa while the convicts resided at the Tarkwa Railway Station.

He said on December 7, at about 0200 hours police officers were on routine snap checks at Tamso Junction, a suburb of Tarkwa, and stopped a taxi on which the convicts were on board.

The policemen searched the taxi and found a fertilizer sack which contained electrical cables, five borson lights and three gallons of diesel in the booth which the convicts claimed ownership adding that they found them in the bush.

The prosecutor said the police suspected that the items might have been stolen and brought the convicts to the police station for questioning.

Upon investigations, Adamadzi and Kwaw led the police to two different houses at Tebrebie in the Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipality where they confessed stealing the items.

However, when the police queried the occupants of the said buildings, they denied ownership of the items.

Nonetheless, the two miners were charged with stealing and conspiracy to commit crime and were prosecuted.

The judge in his ruling said the stolen items valued at GH¢629.50 would be auctioned after 60 days if no one comes forward to claim ownership.