In a verdict delivered by Accra Circuit Court 10, a fisherman has been sentenced to six years of hard labor for stealing £5,000, $100, and GHC4,000.00, along with mobile phones and personal belongings belonging to a couple.
Emmanuel Tetteh, the accused, claimed that he found the money and items at the seashore, but later admitted to using the money and proceeds from selling the stolen items to buy fishing gear. He denied breaking into the couple’s home unlawfully to commit the theft.
As part of the sentence, the court ordered the money retrieved from Tetteh to be given to the couple to compensate for their loss. Additionally, Tetteh is required to reimburse the amount he used to purchase the fishing gear.
During the trial, the judge took into account Tetteh’s lack of cooperation during the arrest and trial, his lack of remorse for the crime, and his violent behavior, as he attempted to stab a District Police Officer during his arrest.
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According to Police Chief Inspector Benson Benneh, the complainants, Mr. and Mrs. Osei, were UK residents, while Tetteh, known by aliases Commetey, 666, and Escobar, worked as a fisherman at Chorkor.
The theft occurred in September 2021, while the complainants were in Ghana to attend a funeral. They were staying at a family house in Camara, a suburb of Mamprobi in Accra. On October 16, 2021, they discovered that their room had been burgled, and various items, including money, mobile phones, a wristwatch, and other valuables, were missing.
The police, led by the District Commander, traced one of the stolen mobile phones using a tracking application to Tetteh’s residence in Chorkor. When the police attempted to apprehend him, he resisted arrest with a dagger, attempting to stab the District Commander before escaping. However, he was later arrested, and a search of his room revealed a significant amount of stolen goods, including money, mobile phones, electronics, and other items.
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The prosecution later discovered that Tetteh had used the stolen money to purchase fishing nets and an outboard motor. These items were also retrieved, and Tetteh’s uncle confirmed that they belonged to the convict, admitting to assisting him in buying them.
Tetteh was ultimately charged with the offenses after further investigation, leading to his arrest at the Accra Regional Police Headquarters on April 19, 2022, where he had filed a complaint of harassment by the complainants.
