Tarkwa court jails illegal miner 30 days for stealing

A district court in Tarkwa has sentenced a 31-year-old illegal miner, Francis Kwofie, to 30 days’ imprisonment with hard labour after he admitted stealing from a neighbour.

Kwofie pleaded guilty and was convicted on his own plea by District Magistrate Court One, presided over by Mr Charles Owusu Nsiah.

Prosecutor Police Sergeant Adwoa Yeboah told the court that the complainant, Mustapha Awudu, a mechanic at Bogoso Junction, lived in the same community as the accused, Essamang Kakraba in the Tarkwa Nsuaem Municipality. Kwofie, she said, worked at Pitson Mines.

The court heard that on 20 October 2025, at about 17:00, the complainant received a call from his wife reporting that their room had been broken into and items damaged.

When he returned home, prosecutors said he found the room ransacked and discovered that GH¢1,300 had been taken from GH¢2,100 he had stored in his wardrobe.

Sergeant Yeboah said the complainant later got information from his brother and other tenants that Kwofie had visited the house around the time of the incident, claiming he needed to borrow money. The complainant also received reports alleging Kwofie had a history of stealing both at home and at work, which led him to suspect him.

On 21 October 2025, the complainant went to the accused’s house but did not find him, leaving a message through a tenant. Prosecutors said Kwofie later came to the complainant’s house and denied the allegation when confronted.

However, the court heard that after making a number of phone calls, Kwofie indicated he was willing to settle the matter. The complainant, unconvinced, arrested him and took him to the Tarkwa Police Station, where the case was formally lodged.