Tema, Jan. 22, GNA - The Tema Circuit Court "B" has remanded into custody a 21-year-old spare driver at Ashaiman who stole a taxi that was spared him by a friend.

Kwasi Osei alias Kobby pleaded guilty and will reappear on February 1, 2005 for sentence.

Prosecuting, Police Chief Inspector Teye Matey told the court presided over by Mr Stephen Teye that on September 9, 2004, the taxi driver of Honda car with registration number GT 3134 C fell sick and with the permission of his car owner gave the car to the accused as a spare driver.

He said the complainant went with the spare driver to know his house at Ashaiman, and the accused started work with the car but never returned home in the evening to report to his master and was not seen again for three weeks.

Chief Inspector Matey said a report was made to the Ashaiman police, who relayed wireless messages to all police stations, and police extract was given to complainant to announce at FM stations, but this did not yield any result.

On September 19, information from the Odokor District CID was received that the accuse was arrested with the taxi carrying six live goats, while the occupants fled when they were confronted by police at a check point.

Chief Inspector Matey said the accused was sentenced to 600,000 cedis or three months jail by the District Magistrate Court at Kaneshie and was therefore brought from prison to face trial.