Asamankese, (E/R), Aug. 19, GNA - A man who claimed to be a driver's mate has been charged in two separate cases of stealing a quantity of oil palm fruit bunches and firewood had been remanded in prison custody by the Asamankese Circuit Court. Stephen Kwaku Osei pleaded guilty in both cases and is to re-appear on August 24 for sentence.

In the first case, Detective Police Inspector, Eric Okyere said on August 3, at Adankrono Pentemtwam, Osei stole a quantity of palm fruit bunches worth 250,000 cedis, property of Kwabena Attipoe.

The Prosecutor said on that same day, Attipoe harvested some bunches of palm fruits, conveyed them to the roadside and covered them with palm fronds with the intension of conveying them the following day. However, when he went to the spot the next day with a taxi cab to cart them, he found that the produce had been collected. Upon his own enquiries, he traced the bunches to an oil mill at Boadua where a witness in the case said she bought them for 200,000 cedis.

According to her, Osei had three weeks earlier sold oil palm fruits to her, which he claimed came from his father's farm at Pramkese. The witness organized some of the workers of the mill and started searching for the accused until on August 6 when Osei was arrested and handed over to the police.

Prosecuting Osei in the second case, Police Chief Inspector G.D. Bruce, said Osei stole a quantity of firewood worth 100,000 cedis, which one Daniel Agyei had piled up by the road side to be conveyed to Adankrono.

The Prosecutor said on July 27, Osei engaged the services of a Hyundai truck to convey the firewood to Boadua.

Afrer he had loaded the truck, the driver, instead of driving to Boadua took Osei and the firewood to the Kade Police Station because he suspected that the accused had stolen the firewood.

When Agyei was informed of what had happened, he rushed to check the spot where he had gathered the firewood and then went to the Police Station to claim ownership.