Amoako Attah Asare, an employee of G4 Group Security, a private security company, has been sentenced to eight (8) years’ imprisonment in hard labour for causing damage to and stealing some electronic parts of stationary Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) train at the Tema Locomotive Workshop.
The convict was hauled before the Tema Circuit Court ‘A’ on two counts of causing loss, damage or injury to property and stealing the electronic parts worth US$36,994.94, thereby demobilizing the train.
Amoako Attah Asare, who was without a lawyer pleaded guilty to the charges and was convicted on his own plea by the court presided over by Her Honour Agnes Opoku-Banierh.
He was sentenced to 8 years’ imprisonment in hard labour for the charge of causing damage and another six (6) years for the charge of stealing which are to run concurrently.
The convict, prior to his sentencing had pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy and deal with him leniently as he is the only bread winner of his family.
The court also requested a comment from a representative of the Ministry of Railway and ASP Charles Adaba (Rtd.), gave the breakdown of the damaged and stolen items as eight (8) pieces of AC 380V power connectors: US$ 8,145.44; 1 piece of network connector: US$240; 7 pieces of control line connectors: US$ 4,609.50 and 200 metres generator cable: US$ 24,000 all totaling US$ 36,994.94.
G4 Group Security was contracted by Afcons Infrastructure Limited, a company that is building a terminal as part of the 97-kilometre Tema-Mpakadan Standard Gauge Railway, to protect its equipment and workers.
The convict as well as other staff of G4, as a result of their relation with Ghana Railway Company Limited (GRCL) often request for water from the GRCL premise to shower and for other purposes.
Amoako Attah Asare, in the course of his duties is said to have established a friendly relationship with the security personnel of GRCL and had approached one of them, Nana Benyin Boham, to request for water and was directed to a tap at the workshop without any suspicion.
But Nana Benyin Boham, out curiosity patrolled the yard and whiles in the process heard an unusual noise between the two parked coaches. He approached it and saw the convict who quickly went under the train and escaped.
Nana Benyin Boham out of suspicion went to the spot the convict was spotted and found that some network control lines, speed censor lines and train control lines which connect the coaches to function had been cut off with a hack saw.
A further inspection of the coaches revealed that a total of 11 cables had been cut off from their sources, rendering the whole DMU immobile.
Nana Benyin Boham, called two of his colleagues security officers and they went to the convict’s duty post where they arrested him and handed him to the Marine Ports and Railways police.
The police later retrieved three (3) speed sensor and network lines after a search was conducted at the convict’s duty post.
BY Gibril Abdul Razak