The mother of a 32-year old ex-convict on Monday pleaded with a circuit court at Cape Coast to "deal ruthlessly" with her son, because she had done everything within her power to change him but to no avail.

The mother made the plea when Ekow Frimpong, a mechanic, was put before the court for assaulting and threatening her with death.

He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to six years imprisonment in hard labour.

The woman told the court that her son is a thief, had been stealing cars and had joined a gang of armed robbers. He assaulted her and threatened to kill her with a knife when she asked him to turn over a new leaf.

The prosecution had earlier told the court that Frimpong, who was released from prison about five months ago, after serving a sentence for stealing, had engaged in a series of crimes immediately after his release and was once arrested in Accra for allegedly stealing a taxicab and it is not known why he was released.

The court also sentenced a storekeeper, who bolted after embezzling an amount of 16 million cedis belonging to his employer, to five years imprisonment with hard labour.

Kofi Appiah, 28, who had pleaded guilty with explanation, would go in for another three years if he fails to refund the amount to the complainant, Madam Kate Benin, a businesswoman in Cape Coast.

This was after the court, presided over by Mr. Kwame Ohene Essel, had rejected his explanation that he only sold 6.3 million cedis goods and fell ill, but could not tell what happened to the balance of 9.7 million.

Prosecuting, Chief Inspector Augustine Amonoo, told the court that Madam Benin, travelled outside the country, sometime in December 2001 and sent down a quantity of biscuits worth 16 million cedis, to Appiah who was in-charge of her store, to sell.

He said Madam Benin returned from her trip to realise that Appiah had sold all the biscuits and had bolted with the money.

The prosecutor said Appiah was spotted at Twifo-Praso on November 29 this year and arrested.