Crime & Punishment of Sunday, 3 August 2008

Source: GNA

Cable thieve jailed five years

Agona Swedru (C/R) Aug. 3, GNA- A circuit court at Agona Swedru has sentenced Emmanuel Blankson, a 20-year-old electrician, from Winneba, to five years imprisonment for stealing low tension electrical cables belonging to the Winneba branch of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG). He pleaded not guilty.

Police Chief Inspector William Kwame Akanah told the court presided over by Mr. Charles Adjei Wilson that on May 26, 2008, at about 0630 hours a witness in the case found the accused person loading two fertilizer sacks into a taxi cab. He said the witness confronted the accused and when the sacks were opened, the cables were found.

Chief Inspector Akanah said the taxi driver and the witness arrested Blankson and handed him over to the police at Winneba. Prosecution said the police informed the Winneba Area Managing Director of ECG, Mr. Isaac Bortchway about the case. Chief Inspector Akanah said Mr Bortchway identified the cables as those that had been stolen at Low Cost Area in Winneba a forth night ago. The Court ordered that the cables be returned to ECG.