An ex-convict has been sentenced to eight years of imprisonment with hard labor by the Tarkwa Circuit Court in the Western Region.

The sentence was handed down due to the individual's unlawful entry and stealing offenses.

The accused, Abraham Ayigra, a 23-year-old unemployed individual, pleaded guilty to the charges and was subsequently convicted by the court.

According to Chief Inspector Joseph Lartey, the prosecutor in the case, Ayigra had previously been sent to prison by the Tarkwa District Magistrate Court in 2022 for committing a similar offense.

During the court proceedings presided over by Mrs. Hathie Ama Manu, it was revealed that the complainant, Grace Boateng, was a food vendor and resident of Benso Wassa in the Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipality. Ayigra also resided in the same community.

On April 26, 2023, at approximately 6:30 PM, the complainant left her house unlocked to fetch water. Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) footage captured the accused approaching the complainant's house, discovering the open door, and realizing she was not present.

Ayigra then approached a friend, informing him that he had a job for him, but the friend declined and left. Subsequently, Ayigra returned to the complainant's house, ransacked her room, and stole an amount of GH￠25,000.00, which was concealed in a small container inside an empty margarine container. Additionally, he took an unspecified amount of money, medication, and a red and black purse.

The prosecution stated that the margarine container without the money was later found behind the palace of the Chief of Benson, while the purse and medication were discovered in a ghetto.

Following the incident, the complainant filed a report against Ayigra, leading to his arrest by the Police on May 2, 2023.

According to the prosecution, during investigations the ex-convict admitted the offence in his cautioned statement and confessed to the court that “l have spent all the money l had from the operation”.