Tabloid News of Saturday, 15 March 2003

Source: Edith Efua Hiagbe

Clever Thief Cries "Maaa" On His Judgement Day

In spite of exhibiting an extremely high level of confidence by breaking into a resident’s room at Abotsew, a suburb of Tema New Town, in broad daylight and stealing a set of sound system, colour television and other personal effects valued at 5.3 million cedis, ahmed ibrahim, could hardly prove to be the man that he claimed he was.

Instead, the 23-year-old unemployed Mechanic, who travelled all the way from La, Accra to commit the crime on February 28, this year, gave in to uncontrollable wailing after being sentenced to two years in prison in hard labour.

The convict who was armed with implements including a hammer, knife and pliers, entered the house of one George Donkor and forced his door open, while the victim was away in Accra.

On entering, Ahmed stole a travelling bag, a tuner amplifier deck, necklace, a 14” colour television and a set of hangers, all of which he packed into a sack.

When he came out and was questioned by a co-tenant, he confidently ignored him and walked away, carrying the television set on his head, while he held the bag.

On his way to the Tema New Town station however, a second witness saw him just at the time he stopped a taxi.

Being suspicious, he raised an alarm and Ibrahim was arrested and escorted to the New Town Police Station at tema.

Later in the day when the complainant returned from Accra and found his room broken into and his belongings stolen, he rushed to the police station, only to find the items and the culprit there.

When he appeared before the Tema Magistrate’s Court presided over by His Worship Daniel Mensah, the accused pleaded guilty and was therefore convicted on his own plea to a two-year jail term.