Asamankese (Eastern Region) 08 August 2000
The Asamankese circuit court at the weekend sentenced a
31-year-old unemployed woman, Yaa Gladys, to 18 months' imprisonment in hard
labour for stealing foodstuffs. Yaa pleaded guilty with explanation.
Chief Inspector John Boateng, prosecuting, told the court,
presided over by Mr. S.S. Appiah, that Mr. Alex Osei Ampaw, a farmer of Asuom,
near Asamankese in the Eastern Region, had been experiencing a series of thefts
on his farm.
He, therefore, decided on July 8, a day when people do not farm in
the area, to keep watch.
At about 10 a.m., Mr. Ampaw saw the accused harvesting his
cocoyam. When he got closer, he saw that Yaa had already harvested a bunch of
plantain, which was lying by her.
Asked what she was doing on the farm, Yaa could not answer and so
Mr. Ampaw escorted her to the police station, where she explained that she
thought she was on her brother's farm.
But when the police asked the accused to take them to her brother,
she told them he had travelled to an unknown place and did not know when he
would return.
The complainant said, however, that he did not share any boundary
with Yaa's brother.
Mr. Appiah said the accused was no doubt a thief who had
specialised in stealing foodstuffs during non-farming days, and sentenced her
accordingly.
GRi…/
Asamankese
(Eastern Region) 08 August 2000
A
set of twins aged 19 have appeared before the Asamankese Circuit Court charged
with defiling a 14-year old junior secondary school pupil.
Atta
Panin and Atta Kakrah pleaded not guilty and were remanded in custody to
reappear on Wednesday.
Chief
Inspector Mariama Doneya told the Court that on July 20 this year, the victim
and two younger sisters passed by the house of the accused persons.
Atta
Panin invited them to the house under the pretext of buying some of the kenkey
they were carrying home.
When
they got there he sent the two younger sisters while he invited the victim into
his room.
According
Chief Inspector Doneya the girl alleged that Panin wiped her face with a
sweet-scented handkerchief, which made her to fall into a deep sleep and then
defiled her.
When
the mother of the girl could not find her at home, she traced her to the house
of the accused persons and met Kakrah at the entrance who denied having seen
the girl.
But
the mother forced her way into their room where found the girl fast asleep.
When
she regained consciousness the girl narrated her ordeal to her mother.
The
mother initially decided to handle the matter leniently because of the cordial
relationship between her and the boys' family.
However,
the uncooperative attitude of the boys made her to report the matter to the police,
who issued a medical form for the girl to go to hospital.
On
her way to the hospital, she spotted Atta Panin and identified him as the one
who defiled her and he was arrested.
While
in custody Kakrah visited him and he was also arrested for being an accomplice.
GRi…/