Apprentice jailed three years for GH¢30,000 cameras theft

The Amasaman Circuit Court has sentenced a 23-year-old apprentice, Benjamin Okyere, to three years in prison with hard labour for stealing valuable items belonging to his mentor, a professional photographer.

Okyere was found guilty of stealing two Canon R10 cameras valued at GH¢30,000, as well as a silver bracelet and wristwatch worth GH¢500. He denied the charges, but the court convicted him after a full trial.

His alleged accomplice, Bernard Nwaeze, who is accused of buying one of the stolen cameras for just GH¢1,000, was granted bail of GH¢30,000 with two sureties but has since absconded.

Presenting the facts, Chief Inspector Frederick Awuah-Ansah told the court, presided over by Justice Enid Marful-Sau, that the victim, Francis Sarkodie, a photographer based in Achiaman near Amasaman, reported the theft on December 2, 2023. Sarkodie alleged that his apprentice, Okyere, had disappeared with his cameras and personal items.

After months of fruitless efforts to locate the suspect, police finally arrested Okyere and Nwaeze on June 6, 2024, following a tip-off.

Further investigations revealed that Okyere sold one of the stolen cameras to Nwaeze and sent the second to his hometown in Peki. Unfortunately, police were unable to recover the latter.

During interrogation, both suspects reportedly confessed to their roles in the crime. They were subsequently charged and arraigned before the court.

While Okyere begins his sentence, law enforcement authorities are now on the hunt for Nwaeze, who failed to appear after being granted bail.