The Pakyi District Court has sentenced a 23-year-old driver, Derick Appiah, to 12 months’ imprisonment in hard labour after he confessed to stealing a susu box believed to contain over GH¢20,000 from the room of a colleague.
The court, presided over by His Worship, convicted Appiah on his own plea following his admission of guilt. Sentencing, which was initially deferred, was finalised on August 5, 2025.
Presenting the facts of the case, Police Chief Inspector Christian Amartey told the court that the complainant, 24-year-old Ebenezer Agyei, works as a Station Master at Mpatasie in the Ashanti Region. Both the complainant and the accused reside in Mpatasie and work together, although they live in separate houses.
According to the prosecution, the incident occurred on July 29, 2025. That morning, Mr. Agyei left home and returned around 9:30 am, only to find that his room had been broken into and his susu box—where he kept savings from his daily business collections—was missing. Alarmed by the discovery, he raised an alarm which attracted two witnesses, identified as Destrol and Agya Owusu.
The witnesses informed the complainant that they had seen Appiah earlier in the day, looking for him. Growing suspicious, the complainant and the witnesses began searching for Appiah and eventually found him. During the arrest, some unidentified individuals assaulted the accused before he was taken to hospital for treatment. He was later handed over to the Trede Police for further investigation.
During interrogation, Appiah admitted in his cautioned statement that he had indeed stolen the box, though he claimed ignorance of the exact amount it contained. He later led his mother to the location where he had hidden it. She retrieved the box and handed it over to police investigators.
However, only GH¢2,047 was found inside, far less than the amount the complainant claimed was in the box. The recovered money has been retained by police as evidence.
Appiah was subsequently charged with unlawful entry and stealing. He was found guilty and sentenced to serve his term in prison with hard labour.
The case has sparked discussions in Mpatasie, with many community members expressing surprise over the incident, given the working relationship between the two men.
