The Tarkwa Circuit Court has sentenced a 25 year-old galamsey operator to nine months imprisonment for stealing GH¢306 worth of felt belonging to AngloGold Ashanti Iduapriem (AAI) Mine,Tarkwa.

The accused pleaded guilty.

Prosecuting, Police Chief Inspector Edward Paddy told the court, presided by Mr. Justice Obeng Asante, that the complainant Rudolf Acquaye was a security officer of AAI Mine, Tarkwa.

He said on September 14, the complainant detected a theft of quality felt used by the mining firm to prevent direct contact of chemicals into the soil from a location called Stretch Three, within the mine.

Chief Inspector Paddy said the complainant reported the matter to the Police for investigation as the thefts at the location was getting out of hand.

He said at about 0140 hours on September 19, while Andrew Owusu and Alex Ansah, security officers of AAI Mine, were on duty at Block One within the Mine, they saw Essien carrying the felt, which had been stolen earlier.

Chief Inspector Paddy said when the convict was arrested and questioned he said two weeks earlier he and some friends cut the felt but they could not carry it away.

The security officers handed him over to the police for investigation but he failed to mention his accomplices and rather told the police that he went to the refuse dump to get some gold dust to wash and on his return he found the felt.

Chief Inspector Paddy said after investigations he was charged with the offence.