Court sentences two drivers for stealing

Kumasi, Dec. 23, GNA - Two drivers were on Tuesday sentenced to a total of six years' imprisonment in hard labour for unlawful entry and stealing a number of items and cash of six million cedis belonging to 'the House of Peace Missionary Church.'

Kwasi Appiah, 23, and Kwasi Boakye, 18, were convicted on their own plea and were sentenced to three years each.

Chief Inspector Dassana Alhassan told the court that the two drivers lived at Pankrono, a suburb of Kumasi where the Reverend Peter Mensah, Head Pastor of the church lived.

He said on the morning of December 18, the Church organised a harvest and fund-raising ceremony and realised six million cedis and that after the function, the two drivers trailed the pastor to his residence where he deposited the money.

Chief Inspector Alhassan said the two broke into the house, entered the pastor's room and took a video deck, an amplifier and a suitcase and packed the money into a bucket.

He said, however, that a 12-year-old boy, who was in the house and witnessed the theft, approached them and demanded their mission in the pastor's room.

The prosecution said their explanation that the pastor sent them to collect the items did not convince the boy who raised the alarm, which attracted some neighbours to the scene.

The neighbours arrested the two and handed them over to the police, while the items and money were retrieved from them.

Before passing sentence, the court, presided over by Mr Emmanuel Kwasi Mensah, cautioned the youth to get interested in doing genuine and hard work to enhance the development of the country instead of the craze for quick money, which could land them in trouble.