Farmer jailed for stealing goat

Asamankese (E/R), May 31, GNA - A 52-year-old farmer, Kwabena Narh, who stole and killed the goat of his benefactor had been sentenced to three months in prison by the Asamankese Circuit Court.

He was also ordered to pay compensation of 500,000 cedis to the complainant, Madam Deilla Afare, or serve a further six months in jail. Narh pleaded guilty with explanation to the charge of stealing one live she-goat, which recently delivered.

Police Chief Inspector Osei Owusu, prosecuting, told the Court that Mad. Afare and Narh were both farmers who live at Abenabo village near Suhum.

He said on May 23, Mad. Afare detected that her she-goat was missing from the house and searched the village in vain, but in the afternoon of the same day, when she entered Narh's room to collect a bowl to serve him a meal, she found to her shock the carcass of the goat being smoked on the fire.

The prosecution said as Mad. Afare was reporting her discovery to some people, Narh managed to disappear from the village until two days later when he was arrested in a nearby village and he admitted killing the animal with the explanation that it was destroying crops on his farm. Narh told the court, amidst laughter, that not only was the goat frequently destroying crops on his farm, but it was also fond of entering his room that was why he decided to kill it.

Passing sentence, Mr. S. S. Appiah, said there was no justification for the accuse to kill the goat, saying Narh's conduct amounted to grave ingratitude to a benefactor.