A 56 year-old ex-seaman, Peter Yawson, was on Friday sentenced to 8 years imprisonment in hard labour by the Tarkwa Circuit Court for defrauding four persons to the tune of 1,880 Ghana cedis.

The accused who pleaded guilty to the charge of fraud is already serving a two year jail term for a similar offence.

Prosecuting, Police Chief Inspector Edward Paddy told the court presided by Justice Mr. Justice Samuel Obeng Diawuo that during the month of June, 2013, Yawson who resides at Daboase near Sekondi approached the complainants, Philip Quainoo, Isaac Armah, David Cobbinah and Jonas Kwandoh who are all welders and collected a total sum of 1,880 Ghana cedis with the promise of assisting them to get employed as welders in a Fishing Company based in Tema.

After collecting the money, the accused gave the complainants letters of acknowledgment and an official receipt allegedly bearing a Company’s stamp and promised the complainants that he would take them to the company's office for interview between July and August that year, for an interview at the Company’s premises but he disappeared.

Chief Inspector Paddy said the accused failed to honour his promise and disappeared and all efforts by the complainants to find the accused proved futile.

He said on April 4, this year, Yawson was arrested at Dompim Number two, near Sekondi upon a tip-off and he was handed over to the police at Nsueam for investigation.