The Enchi District Magistrate Court has fined a 28-year-old farm labourer, Zack Awini, GHC600.00 for stealing two ewes (female sheep) valued at GHC500.00.
The convict who resides at Karipor a village near Amanshia, in the Aowin Constituency pleaded guilty to the offence, would go to prison for six months in hard labour in default of the fine.
The prosecutor, Detective Sergeant Joseph Kwadwo Agyare, said the complainant George Tawiah is the Chairman of the Progressive Transport Owners Association (PROTOA) branch in Enchi.
He told the court that on September 20, this year, at about 3:00 am, the complainant was at the Union’s bus terminal when he spotted Awini riding an unregistered Apsonic motorbike with two ewes in an aluminium basin tied at the back of the motorbike heading towards the newly constructed community center.
The complainant quickly alerted his colleagues as he suspected the animals were stolen and they confronted Awini, but he could not tell them where he got the animals from.
He said the witness and his colleagues arrested and handed him over to the police with the ewes as well as the motorbike.
According to Detective Agyare, while the police were carrying out investigations they sent messages to the surrounding communities for anyone whose sheep had been stolen to report at the Enchi Police Station for identification and collection.
On September 21 one Issah Ayagre a resident of New-Gyesikrom, a village near Nyankamam in Aowin Municipality, came to the police station and identified both ewes as his.
The complainant then informed the police that on the night of September 19, this year, he tied the sheep in his compound and retired to bed and when he woke up the next day, he realized his two ewes valued at 500 Ghana cedis were stolen.
Detective Agyare said Awini in his caution statement confirmed that he stole the two animals from the complainant’s compound at New-Gyesikrom.
Awini said after the theft, he took an aluminium basin from a nearby house and placed the stolen animals in it and tied it at the back of his motorbike with the intention of offering them for sale to a butcher in Enchi.
The prosecution said all efforts made by the police for the convict to identify the said butcher was unsuccessful.
Source: GNA