2 friends jailed for stealing motorbike

• Posted on May 24, 2016
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

A HALF-ASSINI Magistrate Court in the Western Region has sentenced two friends to a total of 32 months in prison for stealing a motorbike and attempting to sell it.

Francis Kwame, alias Assembly, 21 years; and Alex Yankey, 28, both from Aiyinase, were charged on two counts of conspiracy to commit crime and stealing.

Kwame pleaded guilty on count one and not guilty on count two while Yankey pleaded not guilty on both counts.

Kwame was sentenced to 24 months’ imprisonment on both counts while Yankey got 18 months.

Prosecuting, Police Sergeant Isaac Ebo Otoo told the court that the complainant, Mr Shadrack Asamoah, is a mason from Aiyinase while the convicts are from the same town.

He said at 0700 hours on April 3, the complainant gave his Richese Motorbike, with registration number M-16-AS 144 and valued at GH¢3,050, to Mr Joseph Obeng for Okada services.

The prosecution said about two hours later, one Francis Asare hired a motorbike at Menzezor, near Aiyinase, to drop the convicts at Nuba, near Tikobo Number One in the Jomoro District.

He said when they arrived at the Samenye Security Check Point in the Jomoro District on their way to Nuba, Obeng, who was not wearing a crash helmet, entertained fears of arrest.

Kwame then decided to cross the barrier with the bike while the two walked to join him after the barrier.

The prosecution said Kwame, after crossing the barrier, was not seen again.

He said they looked for Kwame at Nuba and Tikobo Number One, as well as their lodging place, NBM Hotel at New Nzulezo, but to no avail.

Sergeant Otoo indicated that Obeng informed Mr Asamoah on phone about the incident, who reported the matter to the Mpataba Police and arrested Yankey to help in their investigations.

He said the next day police had information that Kwame has gone to sell the motorbike to one Francis Besseh at Newtown Wharf, a Ghanaian border town with Cote d’Ivoire, near Half-Assini, for GH¢2,000.

According to the prosecution, the buyer demanded papers on the motorbike before full payment of the money.

He gave Kwame GH¢210 to produce the documents before he paid the balance.

He said Kwame, on hearing that Yankey had been arrested over the issue, returned the money in demand of the motorbike for sale in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire.

The prosecutor said Besseh lured Kwame to Newtown for the motorbike and in the process police personnel who had laid ambush at the place arrested him around 2100 hours that day.

He said Kwame admitted the offence in his police investigation caution statement, claiming that it was Yankey who advised him to run away with the bike for sale at and share the booty.

-The Finder