Cape Coast, Dec. 2, GNA- Ato Kwamina, 30-year-old mason in Cape Coast, who stole cement blocks he has been contracted to mould, was on Tuesday sentenced to three years in hard labour by circuit court at Cape Coast.

He pleaded guilty to stealing and pleaded with the court to deal leniently with him, but the court, presided over by Mr. Mustapha Logo said his sentence was to serve as a deterrent to masons and artisans who cheat their clients.

Prosecuting, Chief Inspector Augustine Amonoo, told the court that the complainant, one Mr. Fredrick Bart- Addison, a businessman also based in Cape Coast, sometime last year, engaged Kwamina and one other mason to mould 5,350 cement blocks for him.

He said Mr Bart-Addison, visited his site at Kakumdo, a suburb of Cape Coast on September 19 this year, and found that 2,000 of the blocks were missing, and after making inquiries he was told that Kwamina had carted the blocks into a KIA truck to an unknown destination.

Chief Inspector Amonoo said the complainant reported the matter to the police and Kwamina was arrested and during investigations he led the police to two block yards within the township, where about 1,200 of the blocks were retrieved.

Kwamina also paid an amount of 600,000 cedis as part payment of the remaining 800 blocks which the police said cost 3.2 million cedis.