Jailed "man woman" in court for stealing

Kade, June 29, GNA - Matilda Ampofoa, popularly known as "man woman", now serving 12 months in prison for escaping from lawful custody, has re-appeared before the Kade District Magistrate Court, for stealing GHC500 and a mobile phone valued at GHC70.

The court issued a bench warrant for the arrest of her accomplice, Kwasi Punisher, now at large.

Ampofoa, unemployed, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal but not guilty to stealing and would appear in court again on July 7. Inspector Francis Cobbina, prosecuting, told the court that on June 3, the complainant, Grace Abletor, an Asamankese trader, visited a corn mill to collect her sacks from the operator.

He said when the trader got there, she found Ampofoa sitting on a bench whilst Punisher bargained over a mobile phone with the operator. The complainant then placed her black polythene bag containing GHC 500 and a Nokia 1110 mobile phone on the same bench on which Ampofoa sat. The prosecutor said as the complainant entered one of the stores to bring out the sacks, Ampofoa bolted with the polythene bag and its contents, followed by Punisher.

The complainant later came out of the shop only to find out that the polythene bag had been taken away and Ampofoa and her accomplice were no where to be found. She reported the case to the police but all efforts made to trace the two proved futile.

On the same day, at about 1630 hours, Ampofoa was arrested in respect of a different case and handed over to the Police and when searched, a Nokia 1110 mobile phone bearing the complainant's name, "Grace" on the screen saver was found on her.

The complainant was invited to the police station and she identified the phone as the very one which got missing with the money. During interrogation, Ampofoa denied the offence and told the Police that it was Punisher, now at large, who took the items and gave her the phone for safe keeping.