One of the convicts in the custody of the police
A 21-year-old ex-convict, who was arrested for breaking into a supermarket in Tarkwa and stealing some items and cash of GH¢50,000, has been jailed eight years’ imprisonment in hard labour.
The convict, identified as Kingsford Quarshie also known as ‘Cash money’, was sentenced by the Tarkwa Circuit Court after pleading guilty to the charges of causing unlawful damage, unlawful entry and stealing.
His accomplice, Joshua Hammond alias Gucci, a 20-year old university student, was also sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment for abetment.
The two pleaded guilty to all four charges and were convicted on their own pleas.
The first time Quarshie was convicted was in 2023, when as a juvenile he was sentenced to 24 months’ imprisonment at the Correctional Centre for robbery.
The Prosecutor, ASP Samuel Ahiabor, told the court presided over by Her Honour Bernice Mensima Ackon, that the complainant, Evans Antwi, is a businessman based in Tarkwa.
He said Quarshie is a miner and resided in Lay-Out, a suburb of Tarkwa.
He stated that the convict’s mother and wife lived in the same house at Market Circle, also in Tarkwa, where the complainant used the front view as a supermarket and warehouse.
He disclosed that on March 22, 2026, around 6:30 a.m., the complainant opened his supermarket and warehouse and discovered that the burglar-proof window had been damaged, and the shop was ransacked.
ASP Ahiabor said the complainant reported to the police that a TM1 laptop worth GH¢3,000, assorted provisions valued at GH¢1,927.90 and a cash sum of GH¢50,000 were missing.
According to the prosecutor, a closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera installed in the vicinity captured the activities of Quarshie, Hammond, and one Collins, who is at large.
He stated that, per the revelation from the CCTV, the police retrieved the stolen items, which included sachets of Cowbell powdered milk, Nestle and Yumvita Cerelac, a can of H&H sweetened condensed milk and a TM1 laptop from Hammond’s room after investigations.
He noted that further investigations also revealed that at about 1:00 a.m. on the same day, Quarshie and Collins damaged the supermarket’s burglar-proof window to gain access for the operation.
ASP Ahiabor noted that at about 2:20 a.m., the two proceeded to the crime scene, and Quarshie gave a green bag to Hammond and instructed him to hand it over to him after entering the shop, and he obliged.
The prosecutor said while the two were ransacking the supermarket, Hammond patrolled to void suspicion by persons passing by.
He said after the operation, the items were handed over to Hammond to be sent to his residence, while the other two stayed behind in the shop.
The prosecutor indicated that Hammond was arrested following investigations, and that all items, except the cash sum of GH¢50,000, were retrieved.
From Emmanuel Opoku, Takoradi