TWO JAILED FOUR YEARS FOR CAR THEFT

TWO residents of Accra who stole an Opel Astra “caravan” taxi and attempted to sell it in Kumasi have been sentenced to four years’ imprisonment by an Accra circuit court.
The convicts — Kwame Asare, a driver, and Kwadwo Nketia, a hawker, both 23 — pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy and stealing and were convicted and sentenced on their own pleas to four years’ imprisonment each.
Prosecuting, Police Chief Inspector J.K. Annim told the court that the complainant was a trader resident at Odorkor while the accused persons also lived at Achimota and Apenkwa, both suburbs of Accra.
He said the complainant gave the taxi, with registration number GT 33912 S, to his driver and after the close of work everyday the driver parked the car in his (the driver’s) house at Akweteman.
Chief Inspector Annim said the driver after close of work on May 4, 2007, as usual, parked the car in his house but on the following morning when he went for the car he realised it had been stolen.
The driver, the prosecutor said, reported the matter to his car owner, who made a report to the Tesano police in Accra.
He said on May 6, 2007, the complainant had a call from Kumasi that his car had been found in the possession of the two men in Kumasi.
According to the prosecutor, the two men attempted to sell the car but the purchaser suspected foul play when he demanded the original documents from the sellers.
The buyer alerted the police who arrested the two men and transferred them to the Tesano Police Station where the case was originally reported.
Chief Inspector Annim said the two men confessed during interrogation that they stole the car and that it was driven to Kumasi by Asare.