Phone Thieves Sentenced to 5 Years Hard Labour

Two Ghanaians have been sentenced to five years in jail - with hard labour - after being convicted of being members of a mobile phone snatching syndicate operating in the country's second-city, Kumasi. Kwame Anokye and Yaw Nkansah pleaded guilty to conspiracy and stealing and were convicted on their own plea. A third man is still evading arrest.

The three men were suspected after being in the same taxi as a woman who lost her phone. When the police were alerted, they tried to escape, but one was arrested on the scene, while the other was picked up later.

The two men who have just been sentenced are facing a charge of robbery in another case pending before the court.

Unrelated, but of interest is that the former UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan is from the same city.

On the web: Ghana News Agency

Posted to the site on 6th March 2009