The Accra Circuit Court Ten has handed down a sentence of six years of hard labor imprisonment to a young fisherman named Emmanuel Tetteh. He was found guilty of stealing a substantial sum of money and personal belongings belonging to a visiting couple.
Emmanuel Tetteh’s defense was that he stumbled upon the money and items at the seashore. He claimed to have used the money and proceeds from selling the items to purchase fishing gear. However, he vehemently denied any unlawful entry into the couple’s home to commit the theft.
In a bid to address the victims’ losses, the court ordered that the recovered monies from Tetteh be returned to the couple. Additionally, Tetteh was instructed to reimburse the money he used to buy the fishing gear.
The judge, in passing the sentence, considered Tetteh’s uncooperative behavior during his arrest and trial, lack of remorse for his actions, and even an attempted assault on a District Police Officer during the arrest.
The case unfolded when the complainants, Mr. and Mrs. Osei, traveled from the United Kingdom to Ghana to attend a funeral. They stayed in a family house at Camara, a suburb of Mamprobi in Accra. On October 16, 2021, at around 4 a.m., they discovered that their room had been burgled, and a substantial amount of money, valuable electronics, and other personal effects were missing.
The investigating police officers, led by the District Commander, managed to track one of the stolen mobile phones, a Samsung Galaxy S6, through a tracking application. This led them to Tetteh’s place of residence in Chorkor. However, Tetteh refused to cooperate and even attempted to assault the District Commander before escaping.
When the police searched Tetteh’s room, they found a significant sum of money, several mobile phones, various stolen items, and even fishing equipment. Further investigations revealed that Tetteh had used the stolen money to purchase fishing nets and an outboard motor, which were subsequently retrieved.
Tetteh’s uncle confirmed that the fishing equipment belonged to the convict, as he had accompanied him to purchase them despite Tetteh having no known source of income at the time.
In April 2022, Tetteh was arrested at the Accra Regional Police Headquarters after he had lodged a complaint of harassment by the complainants. Following investigations, he was charged with the offenses and brought before the court.
With the weight of evidence against him, Emmanuel Tetteh was found guilty and sentenced to six years of imprisonment in hard labor for his theft and subsequent actions.
