Prince Acolatse, an illegal miner who stole a laptop and mobile phone valued 800 Ghana cedis belonging to a Junior High School student was on Wednesday sentenced to 36 months imprisonment by the Tarkwa Circuit Court.
The accused who hails from Tikobo Number One in the Western Region pleaded guilty and claimed he committed the offence because he was hungry.
Prosecuting Police Chief Inspector Florence Tawiah told the court, presided by Justice Obeng Asante, that the complainant, Ebenezer Tandoh, is a student of Quayson Junior High Shool in Tarkwa and lived in an uncompleted house at Brahabebome with his elder brother one Hosea now in Accra.
She said around 6.30 am on January 20, this year, the complainant locked his door and went to school.
Chief Inspector Tawiah said around 8.30 a.m. on that same day, one Doris Boamah, a neighbor of the complainant and a witness in the case heard some noise in the complainant’s house.
She said when Doris got closer to the complainants house to find out where the noise was coming from, she saw that the complainant’s door lock valued at 65 Ghana cedis had been broken with a piece of block and the damaged locks were on the floor near the entrance.
Chief Inspector Tawiah said Doris stood there for a while and suddenly saw the convict coming out of the complainant's room with something wrapped up and later found out that it was a Asus laptop.
She said when the witness confronted the convict as to where he was sending the laptop, he explained that it was the complainant who asked him to come for it.
Chief Inspector Tawiah said Doris who was not convinced raised the alarm and it attracted a mob to the scene and they subjected Acolatse to severe beatings and later abandoned him.
She said the police later had the information about the incident and rescued the convict and sent him to the hospital where he was treated and discharged on the same day.
Chief Inspector Tawiah said a formal complaint was made to the police and Acolatse was arrested.
The Prosecutor said when the complainant returned from school, he discovered that his Nokia mobile phone and laptop was stolen and reported the matter to the police.
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