An Accra Circuit Court has sentenced a 24-year-old man, David Boateng, to 12 months in prison for stealing a laptop valued at GH¢3,500 from an artiste who had offered him a place to sleep.
Boateng pleaded guilty to the charge of stealing and was convicted by the court presided over by Mrs. Susan Eduful.
According to the prosecution, led by Chief Inspector Wisdom Alorwu, the complainant, Evans Kotey Djanie, an artiste residing at Teshie First Junction, had taken Boateng in after he claimed to be stranded in Accra with no place to sleep.
However, Boateng repaid the kindness by stealing Djanie’s HP-branded laptop, valued at GH¢3,500, from his room.
The prosecution told the court that Boateng was later apprehended after he returned to Teshie and attempted to demand money from Djanie, unaware that he was the same person he had stolen from.
Boateng admitted to the offence in his caution statement and led the police to retrieve the stolen laptop from Ashaiman.
“The accused person approached me and told me that he had come from Koforidua to Accra to work but had no place to sleep and needed help,” Djanie told the court.
“I took him home, left him in my room, and went back for my training. But when I returned, I detected that my laptop computer valued at GH¢3,500 was missing,” Djanie added.
The court sentence comes as a warning to those who take advantage of kindness and hospitality to commit crimes.
