I8-year old jailed for snatching UMAT student's phone

The Tarkwa District Court Two has imposed an 18-month custodial sentence on a student for forcibly taking a mobile phone belonging to a University of Mines and Technology (UMaT) student at Tarkwa.

Eighteen-year-old Bright Atanga, who faced charges of unlawful entry and theft, confessed to both accusations.

During prosecution, Police Sergeant Adwoa Yeboah informed the court, presided over by Mr. Isaac Osei Asare ESQ, that the complainant, Samuel Dontoh, a trader living at Nkamponase, lodged the case, while the convict was a resident of Cyanide, both within the Tarkwa Nsuaem Municipality.

She explained that on April 14, 2025, law enforcement received an emergency call reporting that Atanga was being lynched by a crowd at Nkamponase, close to the UMaT campus, Tarkwa.

According to Sergeant Yeboah, officers rushed to the location, rescued Atanga, took him to the hospital for medical care, and later brought him to the station for interrogation.

The Prosecution recounted that the complainant subsequently went to the police station and stated that upon his return from town, he was told that Atanga had scaled his fence wall into his compound but was eventually seized by a group of people.

Sergeant Yeboah added that Atanga acknowledged his wrongdoing and explained to the police that he had taken a mobile phone from a UMaT student. While being pursued by the owner, he jumped over the complainant’s fence into his yard, attempting to hide.

The prosecutor further narrated that Atanga claimed he was captured by the mob, who retrieved the stolen phone from him.