Richford Joe Lartey, unemployed, who was grabbed by the Police while trying to escape with a stolen vehicle has been sentenced to two years imprisonment by an Accra Circuit Court.

Accused of causing unlawful damage to the complainant’s vehicle, the court ordered Lartey to pay a fine of GHS 9,600 or in default serve a year in prison.

The court further ordered Lartey to pay a fine of GHS360 or in default go to jail for two years for also causing damage to a Police vehicle.

Sentences will however run concurrently.

The court presided over by Mrs Adelaide Abui Keddey had already convicted Lartey on all the charges, but deferred his sentence to Monday.

Lartey had pleaded guilty on all the charges.

Prosecuting, General Sergeant Thomas Sarfo, said Samuel Mensah is the complainant and a site supervisor of Process and Plant Automation Company.

Sergeant Sarfo said on November 18, this year, the complainant was installing street lights around the Mexican Embassy, Cantonments, and had parked the company’s blue Toyota with Registration number GR 9043-14, valued at GHC40,000 by the roadside.

The prosecution said Lartey appeared from nowhere opened the car and sped off with it.

He said the complainant raised an alarm and Lartey was chased and nabbed by some sympathizers around.

The prosecution said Lartey, however, ran into a police vehicle with registration number GP 3225, causing extensive damage to both the police vehicle and the complainant’s vehicle.