Akim Swedru, March 13, GNA - The Akim Swedru Circuit Court, presided over by Mr Edward Kwame Bosomtwi Apenkwa, has sentenced three persons who stole 13 men's cover cloths valued at 18 million cedis belonging to a visually-impaired man to a total of 15 years imprisonment.

Kwesi Obeng, 24 and Kwadwo Mensah, 25, were convicted on their own plea of guilty to charges of unlawful entry and stealing, while Kwadwo Attafuah was sentenced in absentia for dishonestly receiving the stolen items. Each of them is to serve five years imprisonment in hard labour. Police Chief Inspector Ben Osei Kwadwo told the court that in November last year, the complainant who resides at Akim Oda Old Town, travelled to his home town at Assin Fosu. He said when he returned the following day, he detected the theft of a box in his room containing 13 men's cover cloths, which included adinkra, kente and wax prints.

The complainant who suspected Obeng as the one who might have stolen the items, made a report to the police and he was arrested. The prosecution said upon interrogation, he admitted his involvement in the theft and mentioned Mensah as his accomplice while Mensah also mentioned Attafuah as the one who bought some of the items. He said Mensah further revealed that he left some of the cloths at a drinking bar after he had failed to pay for drinks he had bought and with the assistance of the bar operator, six of the cloths were retrieved but efforts to arrest Attafuah had so far proved futile.