The Ashaiman Circuit Court has sentenced Emmanuel Tetteh, a 24-year-old driver who resides at Santeo near Ashaiman, to 10 years imprisonment in hard labour for stealing an unregistered Royal motorbike valued at GH¢4,000.00.
The court, presided over by Mr. Simon Gaga, sentenced the accused after he had pleaded guilty to the charges.
The prosecutor, Chief Inspector Samuel Aperweh, said the complainant, Mr. Samuel Abayatey, a 25-year-old mason, resides in Kasoa.
Chief Inspector Aperweh said on January 1, 2023, at about 19:30 hours, the Ashaiman District Police Patrol Team on night patrol duties intercepted the accused with an unregistered royal motorbike at Adjei Kojo under bridge.
The Prosecutor said the accused was spotted pushing the said motorbike with one Francis Osusey, who was a witness in the case.
Chief Inspector Aperweh said the team questioned the accused about the owner of the motorbike, but he gave conflicting responses, which made the team suspect that the accused might have stolen the motorbike.
The patrol team subsequently arrested the accused and brought him to the Ashaiman Police Station where a formal complaint was lodged.
The Prosecutor said during investigations, it was discovered that in December 2022, the complainant was riding the said motorbike from Accra to Ada, and on reaching a section of the Tema motorway around Klagon, the motorbike developed a mechanical fault.
The prosecution said the complainant left the motorbike at the shop of Philip Aderko, an Auto Welding Mechanic at Klagon, a witness in the case, and assured him that he would come for it later.
The Prosecutor said on January 27, the accused who also had his vehicle at the same auto mechanic shop went there and in the cause of a conversation with the owner of the shop, learned that the motorbike owner had not returned since December to pick up the motorbike.
Mr Apreweh said the accused capitalised on the information and on January 31, called the shop owner with an unknown phone number and posed as the owner of the motorbike and thereafter sent one Francis Osusey to go for the motorbike.
The accused later met Francis Osusey at Adjei–Kojo, and they both headed toward Ashaiman.
Investigations concluded that the accused had dishonestly appropriated the said motorbike under false pretenses and was charged with the offense and put before the court.
