Electrician slapped with 3-year jail sentence for stealing GHC40,000

A 29-year-old electrician, Samuel Ledi, has been sentenced to three years’ imprisonment by the Hohoe Circuit Court for stealing a handbag containing GH¢40,000.

Another suspect, identified as Tsikata, remains at large.

During court proceedings on 17 July 2024, presided over by Mr Michael Johnson Abbey, Ledi pleaded not guilty. However, the court found him guilty and passed the sentence.

Chief Inspector Charles Aziati, prosecuting, revealed that Ledi was a repeat offender. Earlier in 2024, he had been convicted and sentenced to two years’ imprisonment for a similar crime involving the theft of a bag containing cash and a mobile phone. The prosecution urged the court to impose a severe penalty, citing the seriousness of the offence.

Chief Inspector Aziati informed the court that the complainant, a fish trader at Hohoe Market, reported the theft on 22 May 2023. She explained that a red bag valued at GH¢200, which contained GH¢40,000, had disappeared from under a table at the market.

Following investigations, two suspects were arrested. During questioning, Ledi claimed that Tsikata and another associate were responsible for the theft. He offered to assist police in locating them in Ashaiman, but Tsikata remains at large.

In a related case, the Hohoe Circuit Court sentenced 18-year-old farmer Olator Moses to 18 months’ imprisonment for stealing distillation pipes used to produce akpeteshie (local gin).

Moses pleaded guilty and was convicted on his own admission.

During the trial, Chief Inspector Aziati told the court, presided over by Mr Michael Johnson Abbey, that the complainant, a farmer, had built a small cottage on his farm for distilling akpeteshie. On 11 October 2024, while the complainant was at the cottage, Moses followed a farm worker employed by the complainant’s sister to the site. Shortly afterwards, Moses left the area with the stolen distillation pipes.

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