A 22-year-old sales boy captured on closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras stealing from his employer was jailed for 36 months in hard labour by the Amasaman Circuit Court.
Kwame Atta denied stealing GH¢217,000.00 from Madam Sahada, his employer and complainant, but he was found culpable.
The court, presided over by Ms Susanna Nyakotey, said in passing sentence that the prosecution had discharged its burden of proof, while Atta failed to cast doubt on it.
The court therefore convicted Atta of the offence of stealing.
The court also took into consideration his age, the fact that he was a first-time offender, and his denial of the offence until the CCTV footage was tendered and viewed in court to prove his guilt.
The court advised Madam Sahada to file a civil action to retrieve her money after Atta had completed his sentence.
Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Dora Amoh earlier told the court that Madam Sahada was a trader and Atta is a salesperson, both residents of Adjen Kotoku.
She said in March 2025, the complainant employed the convict as a salesperson at her shop at the Adjen Kotoku onion market.
In July 2025, the complainant detected that her money box, in which she kept her savings, had been tampered with.
When she opened the box, she realised the money she had kept in it was missing.
The complainant replayed her CCTV footage and detected that it was Atta who took the money from her money box.
The complainant told the Police that the total amount stolen from her money box was GH¢217,000.00.
She also reported that after the incident, Atta stopped going to work.
The case was reported to the Adjen Kotoku Police, leading to his arrest.
During the investigation, Atta admitted to taking only GH¢1,500.00 from the box and said he intended to buy a mobile phone with it, but he did not.
After the investigation, he was charged with the offence and put before the court.
A lawyer, who announced herself as a friend of the court, pleaded in mitigation that Atta was young and a first-time offender.
She prayed for a non-custodial sentence to prevent him from being mingled with hardened criminals in prison, which she said would destroy his life.
She urged the court to allow Atta time to pay restitution, bond him to be of good behaviour, and give him a chance to repent.
She added that since Atta was not represented by a lawyer, he became terrified and confused, hence denying the offence, and pleaded with the court not to take this as defiance or lack of remorse.
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