Artist charged with stealing fresh cocoa beans

David Narh Akotey Adogodzi, an artist, was on Wednesday arraigned at the Asamankese Circuit Court for stealing a quantity of fresh cocoa beans valued at GHC 200.

He pleaded guilty and was remanded in police custody until August 18.

Presenting the facts of the case, Police Chief Inspector Ben Nyonator, said both the complainant, Kofi Alimo and the accused were living at Amanshia, near Suhum.

He said about three years ago the chief of New Ningo entrusted a cocoa farm at Amanshia in the care of the complainant and his wife.

For over a month now, whenever the complainant visited the farm, he detected that some of the ripe cocoa pods have been harvested and taken away.

The prosecutor said on July 12, at about 0730 hours, the complainant visited the farm and met the accused busily plucking and breaking the cocoa pods.

When the complainant demanded from the accused who authorized him to be on the farm, he did not utter a word.

The prosecutor said since the complainant did not want to have any confrontation with the accused, he quietly left the farm and hid himself in the bush to see what would happen next.

The accused then collected the fresh cocoa beans into a fertilizer sack, hid it in the bush and left.

Immediately after the accused had left, the complainant collected the sack containing the cocoa beans to the police station where he made a report.

When the accused was arrested, a search in his house revealed that another quantity of fresh cocoa beans was in a container hidden in the kitchen and the police took possession of it.

When the accused was interrogated, he told the police that he could not litigate with the chief, who owns the farm, and pleaded for forgiveness.

Source: GNA