General News of Thursday, 20 April 2000

Source: GNA

Clearing Agent remanded for stealing

Tema, April 19, GNA - The Tema Community Tribunal has remanded Johnson Twum, 33, who claims to be a Clearing Agent, in custody for allegedly breaking into a house and steal a gas cylinder and a blender.

Twum, who pleaded not guilty is to re-appear on May four. Chief Inspector Comfort Kamasa, told the tribunal chaired by Captain (rtd) Philip Agbeyome, that on April six, this year, a banker and his wife heard an unusual noise in their house at Community Ten, so they decided to find out what was happening.

In their quest, they found out that some one had broken into their kitchen and made away with a gas cylinder and blender both valued at 720,000 cedis. The couple, who then heard dogs barking in the area decided to walk towards where the barking was coming from.

They met the suspect at a junction on the Hospital Road, sitting on some slabs by the roadside with the blender in its pack about 30 metres away. When they questioned him about how he came by the blender, the suspect denied any knowledge of the item, the prosecution said adding that when the couple got nearer him they saw the cylinder covered with a black polythene lying in a gutter.

Twum was then arrested and taken to the police station. In his defence, the suspect told the tribunal that he was at that particular time meditating after assisting his pregnant wife to prepare fire to fry yams, which she sells to school children.

However, the police investigator cut in to tell the court that the suspect had been previous convicted and sentenced to three months' imprisonment for stealing crates of empty Coca-Cola bottles The prosecution told the tribunal that Twum has a pending cylinder stealing case against him.