A Takoradi circuit court on Monday sentenced Bright Bissue, a 19-year old Senior High School (SHS) student, to five years imprisonment in hard labour for stealing.

Bissue pleaded guilty to the offence.

The court issued a bench warrant for the arrest of his accomplice, Emmanuel Kwabena Frimpong, 18, who has been charged with abetment of crime.

Prosecuting, Police Inspector Fuseini Yakubu, told the court, presided by Mr Justice Charles Bamfo Nimako, that the complainant, Joseph Henry Bissue, is the grandfather of Bright and a pensioner who had returned home from London.

He said Bright and Frimpong were friends and students at the Insaniyya SHS in the Central Region.

Inspector Yakubu said Bright and the complainant were both residents at the Ridge Emmanuel Estate at Essipon near Sekondi whilst Frimpong was resident at Kasoa in the Central Region.

Inspector Yakubu said since January 2013, the accused had been accompanying the complainant to the Barclays Bank in Takoradi to withdraw money with his Nat-West Visa Card and the accused was able to locate the Visa Card anytime it got missing.

He said the accused took advantage of the situation and memorised the code of the Visa Card.

The accused later stole the Visa Card and withdrew money from the complainant’s accounts at the Sekondi branch of the Ghana Commercial Bank and at the Takoradi branch of the Barclays Bank.

Inspector Yakubu said on March 14, this year, the complainant went to the bank to withdraw money and was informed that his account had been blocked because there was no money in it.

He said the complainant became suspicious of his grandson and caused his arrest when he was informed by family members of his grandson’s extravagant life style.

Inspector Yakubu the police retrieved clothes, shoes, a Panasonic mobile phone and accessories and an amount of GH¢15,100 in the Stanbic Bank Account of the accused in Takoradi when a search was conducted.

He said the accused directed the police to Frimpong’s house, and during a search, clothes, shoes, a mobile phone and accessories were retrieved.

Inspector Yakubu said the accused persons admitted the offences in their caution statements and were charged after further investigations.