Crime & Punishment of Thursday, 19 June 2008

Source: GNA

Magician jailed 5 years for fraud

Juaso (Ash), June.19, GNA- A 32-year-old magician who defrauded a boy of GH¢ 1500 under the pretext of doubling the amount at Agogo has been sentenced to 5 years' imprisonment in hard labour by the Juaso Circuit Court.

Kwaku Duah Agyemang, who pleaded not guilty to one count of defrauding by false pretence, was convicted after a 10-month trial. Police Detective Mike Fritz Bekoe, prosecuting told the court, presided over by Mr. Jacob Boon that on April 10, 2007 around 2000 hours, the complainant, Charles Wireko spotted Agyemang displaying some magical prowess in the Agogo Township.

Later, Wireko approached Agyemang and enquired if he could double an ammount of GH¢1500 in his possession which belonged to his father and he responded in the affirmative.

The next day Wireko gave Agyemang the money who in turn gave him a black polythene (bag) containing some pieces of paper and instructed him to bury it behind his house and retrieve it after one week. However, when the bag was retrieved a week later, it contained pieces of paper cut in the size of ten thousand cedis of the old currency. Realizing he had been duped, Wireko reported the case to the Agogo Police, leading to the arrest and subsequent prosecution of Agyemang.