A 24 year old man identified as Emmanuel Tetteh has been sentenced to 15 years in hard labor by the Takoradi Circuit Court for the theft of underground electrical cables. According to an Adom Online report the convict was apprehended by residents of the Secondi Takoradi Metropolis after he was spotted digging up and cutting essential power infrastructure. The court heard that the theft led to significant power outages across several residential and commercial areas in the city.
The presiding judge Michael Ampadu handed down the sentence after the accused pleaded guilty to two counts of causing unlawful damage and stealing. A report from GhanaWeb indicates that the court intended the harsh sentence to serve as a deterrent to others involved in the rampant destruction of public utility infrastructure. The prosecution presented evidence including the tools used for the crime and several meters of copper cabling recovered from the scene.
Official details from the Ghana Police Service through their regional communication channels confirm that the incident occurred in the early hours of the morning near the Takoradi Technical University area. Security officials noted that cable theft has been a recurring issue affecting the reliability of the national grid in the Western Region. The court noted that the cost of repairing the damaged infrastructure far exceeded the market value of the stolen copper.
During the sentencing proceedings the judge emphasized the economic sabotage caused by such criminal activities. Daily Guide Network reported that the convict begged for leniency citing financial hardship but the court maintained that the public interest outweighed the personal circumstances of the offender. Emmanuel Tetteh was subsequently transported to the Sekondi Central Prison to begin his custodial sentence immediately.