Asamankese (E/R), March 14, GNA - For stealing a quantity of firewood, a farmer has been fined 400,000 cedis by the Asamankese Circuit Court on Monday. In default, Thomas Kwasi, who pleaded guilty, will serve three months imprisonment in hard labour. Prosecuting, Police Chief Inspector Joseph Idan told the court that both Kwasi and the complainant, Mr Foster Okle, a farmer, lived at Ekoso No. 2 in the West Akyem District of the Eastern Region. He said on February 19, this year, a farm attendant of the complainant visited his master's farm only to find Kwasi and his children busily harvesting firewood on the farm.

When Kwasi was confronted, he gave no tangible answer, so the attendant rushed home and informed his master, who then followed up to the farm to find Kwasi and his children still cutting the firewood, the prosecutor said. According to him, Kwasi told Mr Okle that he intended to sell the firewood to a palm wine-tapper and this compelled the farm owner to report the case to the police and Kwasi was arrested.