A 30-year-old unemployed who stole a doctor’s surgical robe and wore it to pose as health personnel, duping unsuspecting patients has been convicted by the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly Circuit Court.
Edward Lawson pleaded guilty to the charge and was convicted on his plea by the Court presided over by Abdul Razak Musah.
He has therefore been sentenced to 12 months imprisonment in hard labour by the court.
Lawson was on admission at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) Polyclinic for two days and after being discharged, stole the robe belonging to Dr Yaw Opare Larbi, a medical practitioner at the facility, which was on a drying line.
He put on the robe, posed as a health practitioner at the Kumasi South Hospital at Atonsu-Agogo in Kumasi, and succeeded in extorting GH¢50.00 each from three patients, under the pretext of helping them obtained a faster X- ray reports, requested by Medical officers, attending to the patients.
Prosecuting, Police Inspector Michael Koole told the Court that the complainant in the case, is an Estate Officer of the Kumasi South Hospital.
He said on 30th November, 2019, a few days after convict had been discharged from the hospital, a security officer on duty saw him at the hospital premises right in the act, reported the matter to the complainant.
He said the convict was immediately sought for and arrested when the complainant reported the incident to the Asokwa Police station.
Inspector Koole said the convict confessed to the offence during police investigations and he was subsequently charged and arraigned.