Unemployed man sentenced to GH¢200 fine for stealing plantain

A 28-year-old man, Patrick Entsie, who stole a bunch of plantain valued at GH¢5.00 at Gyewani-Nkwanta near Akim Ayirebi, in the Eastern Region, has been sentenced to a fine of GH¢200.00 by an at Akim Swedru circuit court.

Entsie, unemployed, pleaded guilty to stealing and would go to prison for six months in hard labour, if he fails to pay the fine.

The facts of the case were that Mr Kwodwo Mensah, the complainant, is a farmer, who lives at Borteykrom, an adjoining town near Gyewani-Nkwanta, while the convict lives at Abenase. On June 14, this year, around 1030 hours, Entsie sent a bunch of plantain valued at GH¢5.00 to sell at Gyewani-Nkwanta market.

At the market, the women selling foodstuffs detected that the bunch was not harvested with a cutlass from the stem of a plantain tree as is normally the case and, therefore, suspected that the plantain could have been stolen from someone’s farm.

The market women alerted the local Unit Committee Chairman, who is a witness in the case and who interrogated Patrick. The convict confessed having stolen the plantain and was subsequently handed over to the Police.

Mr Kofi Akrowiah, the trial judge, did not hesitate to convict Entsie on his own plea and imposed the fine on him accordingly.

Source: GNA