Kumasi, May 18, GNA - A Kumasi Circuit Court presided over by Mr Justice Emmanuel Amo-Yartey has remanded into prison custody a 46-year-old painter for the theft of GH¢17,252.00, belonging to a trader. Salifu Hamidu had pleaded guilty to the offence and his punishment was deferred to Monday, May 27. Police Chief Inspector Comfort Baffour-Kyei told the court that the complainant, Constance Konadu Sarpong lives at Bompata whilst Hamidu resides at Amakom, all in Kumasi.

The prosecution likened the relationship between the two to that of "mother and son" and said the convict had been running errands for complainant. On one of such errands, he went to Benin with GH¢36,504.00 for the purchase on poultry feed. Pastors and church workers in Sampa and Jaman go to school

Hamidu bought a total of 900 bags of the feed, brought these down into the country, sold out the entire stock but paid only GH¢19,252.00 to the complainant and went into hiding. The prosecution said Constance who had lost all contact with convict made a formal report to the police who managed to smoke him out of his hiding place and arrested him on May 11. In his caution statement, he admitted using the remaining amount of the money to attend to his personal needs.