A 35-year-old tailor, accused of dishonestly appropriating an unspecified amount of money from the offertory box of Star of the Sea Catholic Church, has appeared before the Dansoman Circuit Court.

Moses Vincent, on a separate occasion, allegedly stole an envelope containing GH¢600 placed on the church altar.

Vincent faced two counts of unlawful entry, two counts of stealing GH¢600 belonging to the church and being on premises for unlawful purposes. The alleged acts of Vincent came to light when the church's CCTV footage was reviewed.

He pleaded guilty to the charge of stealing but denied the other charges. The court presided over by Halimah El-Abdul Baasit, convicted Moses on his own plea on June 19, 2024, for the charge of stealing and remanded him until June 26, 2024. The other charges were subsequently withdrawn.

Upon reappearing before the court on June 26, 2024, Vincent was asked if he maintained his plea of guilt regarding the stealing charge, to which he affirmed.

The court, considering both mitigating and aggravating factors, cautioned Vincent after a good Samaritan at the court paid the money he had stolen from the church. He was ordered by the court to sign a bond to be of good behavior for the next 12 months.

The prosecution informed the court that the complainant, Chantel Agbenyo, a security officer at Dansoman, Exhibition Roundabout, and Thomas Wahab, head of security of the church, arrested and brought Vincent to the police station on June 14, 2024, at about 20:10 hours.

The complainant reported that on March 20, 2024, Vincent was captured on the church's CCTV entering the premises and stealing money from the offertory box. Some elders of the church later came to the Dansoman Police Station to plead on Vincent's behalf, resulting in his release.

In May 2024, Vincent was again captured on CCTV unlawfully entering the church premises and absconding with an envelope containing cash of GH¢600 from the altar. He was re-arrested by the police, and in his caution statement, he admitted to the offense.

However, the stolen money was not recovered. The police obtained copies of the CCTV footage for evidential purposes.