The Ashaiman District Court has fined a 24-year-old trader, Kingsley Oduro, the sum of GH¢600 for stealing a wheelbarrow.

Oduro will serve a six-month imprisonment with hard labour if he defaults in paying the fine; he is also to refund GH¢700, the price of the wheelbarrow, to Ebenezer Oduro, the complainant. 

The court presided over by Derick Parden Eshun fined the accused after he pleaded guilty to the charge of stealing.

Police Inspector Kojo Dansu, prosecuting, said the complainant, who is a wheelbarrow pusher and resides in Kaketo, Ashaiman, packed his wheelbarrow beside him and slept at the Champion Bet Centre at Kaketo on January 15, 2024.

The prosecution said the next day, at about 07:00 hours, he left the wheelbarrow and went to the bathroom. He came back in about 30 minutes to find out that it had been stolen by an unknown person.

The court was informed by the prosecution that Kingsley began to search for it and was informed by a witness that she saw the accused person pushing the wheelbarrow away but did not know he had stolen it.

The witness spotted Oduro at Tsinagbe at Ashaiman in the night and informed the complainant; they then arrested him and handed him over to the Police.

The prosecutor stated that upon interrogation, he admitted to stealing the wheelbarrow but informed police that he sold it to a dishonest receiver for GH¢70 in Tema.

He was transported to Tema by the police to identify the said buyer to be arrested, but he failed to do so.