Crime & Punishment of Saturday, 6 December 2014

Source: GNA

Runaway inmate gets 2yrs imprisonment

A Tarkwa Circuit Court on Thursday sentenced Kelvin Orlando, a 21 year-old galamsey operator, to two years imprisonment for unlawfully escaping from police custody at Tarkwa.

He pleaded guilty.

Prosecuting, Police Chief Inspector Oscar Amponsah, told the court presided by Mr. Justice Obeng Asantes, that the complainants are Corporal Francis Tawiah and Constable Adama Seidu stationed at the central police station in Tarkwa, while the accused was a suspect arrested and detained by the Railways police in connection with a stealing case.

According to the Prosecutor, while in custody pending investigation, he escaped from police custody but was later arrested.

He said Orlando’s behavior became a treat to the police and was therefore transferred to the central police cells to appear before court the next day.

Chief Inspector Amponsah said on October 5, the convict and three other inmates, Godwin Aligah, Ebenezer Yankey and Joe Kpofoh escaped from lawful custody by causing damage to the cells ventilation iron rods valued 300 Ghana cedis.

He said the complainants in the cause of their routine checks detected that the inmates had escaped and reported the incident to their superior officers and a search party was organized to hunt and arrest the escapees.

The Prosecutor said on November 22, the police upon a tip-off arrested Orlando at his hid-out at a village near Nsueam in the Western Region.

Chief Inspector Amponsah said the convict admitted the offence during interrogation and mentioned the other three suspects who are at large as those he conspired with to commit the crime.