A Tarkwa Circuit Court on Tuesday sentenced Enock Mensah, a 25 year-old welder to 10 years imprisonment in hard labour for stealing 46 kilos of dried cocoa beans valued GH¢303.00.

The accused, who pleaded guilty, has served a 3-year jail term for a similar offense.

According to prisons records while in prison, the accused stole a prison officer’s mobile phone and also attempted to escape from prison custody. He was sentenced to 5 years imprisonment and was released in 2011 for these offences.

Prosecuting, Police Chief Inspector Edward Paddy told the court, presided over by Mr. Justice Obeng Asante that the complainant, Alex Ameblame, is a national service personnel and lives at Kokoase, a village near Tarkwa.

Chief Inspector Paddy said around 20:00 hours on December 31, last year, the complainant left 46 kilos of dried cocoa beans on his veranda and went to church with his family.

He said when the complainant and his family returned from the church service at about 04:00 hours, he noticed that the drying lines and the 46 kilos of cocoa seeds had been stolen.

Chief Inspector Paddy said the complainant alerted all the purchasing clerks about the theft, in case anyone attempt selling the dried cocoa beans to them.

He said around 11:30 hours on January 1, this year, one Madam Elizabeth Kyeraa, a witness in the case, was in her house when Mensah brought in two fertilizer sacks containing dried cocoa beans to sell.

Chief Inspector Paddy said the cocoa beans weighed exactly 46 kilos and Elizabeth suspected that they were the sacks of cocoa beans that were reported stolen.

He said Elizabeth informed her husband, who was already aware of the theft and with the help of some members of the community arrested the accused and took him to the police station together with the two bags of cocoa beans.

Chief Inspector Paddy said the complainant went to the Police Station and identified the two sacks of cocoa beans as his.