He was charged on two counts of being in a premises for unlawful purpose and stealing, contrary to section 124 sub section 1 of Act 2960 of the Criminal Offence Act.

Essoun, a native of Winneba, pleaded guilty on count one with an explanation which was not sustained, and was subsequently convicted and sentenced to ten months in prison.

He again pleaded guilty with explanation on the second count that was also dismissed and was convicted and sentenced to 8 months in prison.

Narrating the facts of the case before the court presided over by Mr Isaac Apeatu, the prosecution, led by Police Inspector Peter Agbelie said the complainant of the case is one Mr David Johnson, the caretaker of an uncompleted storey building located at Low Cost, a suburb of Winneba.

He said on January 16, the complainant left the premises and returned around 2pm and saw the convict in the building with a pair of pliers cutting electrical cables that had been laid through the conduit pipes in the structure.

Inspector Agbelie said when the complainant confronted the convict he could not give any tangible reason for his actions.

He said the complainant, together with some neighbours, effected a citizen’s arrest and sent the suspect to the police station.

Inspector Agbelie said when the convict was interrogated, he claimed that he had been going round in search of construction work without any luck.

He then came to the uncompleted house and realized that it did not have any electricity.

The Prosecution then said he entered and started cutting the electrical cables which were laid through conduit pipes when the complainant came and met him.

He led the police to the scene and demonstrated how he entered the building and started cutting the cables.

After investigation he was arraigned before for the court charged with the offences, the prosecution added.

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Source: GNA

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Personnel from the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) in Takoradi, were undertaking repair works on the power distributor’s 33kV underground cable that supplies power to the harbour enclave in Takoradi, when the deceased’s body was found in a trench.

He was said to have attempted tampering with the cables, as initial search on him revealed a blade and cutlass which he may have used to cut the cables.

The cable was cut open and the copper screen, known to be targeted by most cable thieves, had been pulled out.

The deceased’s body has since been deposited at the Effia Nkwanta Regional Hospital mortuary by the police.

ECG, telecommunications companies, and others have long complained about the incidences of cable theft, which, at a point was said to cost the ECG in particular billions yearly.

In 2016, Vodafone solicited help from the public to curb the incidence of cable theft across the country, with an offer to reward for information that could lead to the arrest of cable thieves nationwide.

Thieves have also stolen the backup batteries of telcos in the past.

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By: citifmonline.com/Ghana

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