The Tarkwa District Court One has sentenced a 20-year-old small-scale miner to three months’ imprisonment with hard labour after he admitted to stealing his friend’s mobile phone.
The convict, Emmanuel Eshun, pleaded guilty to the charge of stealing when he appeared before the court, presided over by His Honour Mr Charles Owusu Nsiah.
Presenting the facts, Police Sergeant Adwoa Yeboah told the court that the complainant, Kwame Nimorlaar, is also a small-scale miner and a friend of the convict. She said the complainant resides at Aboso Post Office, while Eshun lives at Fanti Mines, both within the Prestea Huni-Valley Municipality in the Western Region.
According to the prosecution, on October 1, 2025, at about 6:00 p.m., Eshun visited the complainant at his residence and requested the use of his iPhone 11, valued at GH¢3,500, to take photographs while the complainant was present.
Sergeant Yeboah said that after a few minutes, Eshun told the complainant he was going to check something by the roadside and assured him he would return shortly. He, however, failed to come back with the phone.
The court heard that on October 20, 2025, at about 11:00 p.m., the complainant later spotted Eshun at Mandeyline, a suburb of Aboso. With the help of his brothers, Eshun was taken to the Aboso Police Station, where a formal complaint was lodged.
During interrogation by the Ghana Police Service, Eshun told investigators that he had received a phone call from a friend identified only as Baldest, who asked him to meet him at the “I Am That I Am” Hotel at Aboso Mandeyline.
He claimed he informed the complainant before leaving and reiterated that he intended to return with the phone. Eshun further told police that on his way, he encountered another friend known as “2Pac,” to whom he allegedly owed GH¢1,600, and that this person seized the iPhone from him during an argument.
The prosecution said Eshun failed to assist the police to trace or arrest the alleged friend. Following investigations, he was charged with stealing and put before the court.
After considering his plea and the facts presented, the court convicted Eshun on his own plea and sentenced him to three months’ imprisonment with hard labour.