Trotro driver jailed 3 years for vehicle theft
A trotro driver, Stephen Ketu, has been sentenced to three years’ imprisonment by an Adenta Circuit Court for stealing a minibus.
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He was before the court presided over by Sedinam Awo Balokah last Tuesday and pleaded guilty to two charges of unlawful entry and theft.
He was thus convicted and sentenced on his own plea to 12 months in prison on the charge of unlawful entry and three years on the charge of theft. The sentence is to run concurrently.
In his defence statement before the court, the convict said he only borrowed the car to complete a journey and intended returning it.
However, when asked if he had any form of relationship with the owner of the vehicle, he answered no. The convict also said he was able to move the vehicle which was locked with a master key he had.
Background
The Prosecutor, Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) Patience Mario, presented the case before court. According to her, the complainant, Ayeh Ogyiri, was also a driver who operated at the Darkuman Circle Station in Accra.
She said on October 13, 2023, the complainant’s Nissan TD minibus was locked and parked after work at the Darkuman Circle station at about 8.30 p.m.
She added that the next day at 5.30 a.m, the complainant resumed work only to discover that his vehicle was nowhere to be found.
A search around yielded nothing causing a report to be made at the police station and a wireless message sent to various police stations across the country.
CSP Mario said the convict was later seen at the Madina Ritz junction in Accra offering the said vehicle for sale at a scrap dealership with the vehicle’s number plates removed.
The prosecutor said after the convict was unable to prove ownership of the vehicle, an alarm was raised and he was arrested.
