Crime & Punishment of Wednesday, 9 May 2012

Source: GNA

Driver jailed 10 years for possessing narcotic drugs

The Mpraeso Circuit Court, presided over by Mr Kwaku Osei, on Wednesday sentenced a 28-year-old driver to 10 years imprisonment in hard labour for offensive conduct and possessing narcotic drugs.

The driver, Kwaku Ofosu, pleaded guilty to the charge of offensive conduct but pleaded not guilty of possessing narcotic drugs.

The Prosecutor, Detective Inspector Christian Apronti told the court that the complainant Adwoa Akyiaa, a beer bar keeper, and Ofosu lived at Nsuta a suburb of Nkawkaw.

He said in December 2011, the complainant went for a house help to assist her in her beer bar operation and other house hold duties, but Ofosu later proposed love to the girl without the knowledge of the complainant.

The prosecutor said when the complainant later detected the relationship between Ofosu and the house help, she became offended and warned Ofosu to end the relationship to enable the girl to concentrate on the duties assigned to her but Ofosu became offended and rained insults on the complainant.

He said a report was made to the Nkawkaw police and Ofosu was arrested but managed to escape.

He was later arrested and when a search was conducted in his room, a wrapper of a substance suspected to be Indian hemp was found in a bag but, he denied ownership of the substance.

The Detective Inspector said when the suspected stuff was sent to the Police Forensic Laboratory in Accra for examination, it was found to be Indian hemp and after investigation, Ofosu was charged with the offence.**