39-year-old prison inmate at the Awutu Camp Prison, Kwadwo Agyameng who was jailed 18 months for stealing has been released after Crime Check Foundation (CCF) paid his fine. Agyemang had almost finished serving his sentence when he was transferred to the Camp prison to complete his sentence.
He said he was jailed in default of a court fine of Two Thousand Four Hundred Ghana cedis.
Speaking to the Executive Director of Crime Check Foundation, Ibrahim Oppong Kwarteng, Agyemang said the narcotic drugs he abused influenced him to engage in the act. Though smoking cigarettes was a pleasure, he indicated that he started smoking weed when he worked at a ‘galamsey’ site during his school-going age to enable him to work harder. “My grandmother refused to send me to school though I yearned to be educated. She wanted me to trade in the herbal medicines she was selling. I asked her to take me to school when we lived at Asante Akokeri but she asked me to stop and later she made us relocate to Obuasi where I engaged in ‘galamsey’,” he said.
He added, “when I was at the galamsey site, my friends made good money when they went into deep pits to get gold so I also decided to follow their steps and because it was hard work, one has to smoke heavily. I started smoking weed in 1996 and I am a drunkard as well.”
Agyemang told Mr. Kwarteng that after he stopped working at the ‘galamsey’ site, he started a drinking spot business, which he needed to expand. He said he was compelled to steal due to financial difficulties to enable him to undertake the expansion of his business. “I went into a hotel to steal an amount of Five Thousand Ghana cedis and a mobile phone from a couple who were deeply sleeping at night. I even thanked God for enabling me to get the money,” he said.
Luck eluded him when his friends he had told how he got the money and gave them a share of it, exposed him to the police.
He said he was arraigned before court and was fined Two Thousand Four Hundred Ghana cedis and in default was sentenced to twelve months imprisonment at the Ankaful Main Prison.
His transfer to the Awutu Camp Prison was to enable him to learn a trade as he completes his sentence.
CCF went to his aid at the Camp Prison and with support from two of its donors, Marcella Agyemang Duah, based in the US, and Darlingcia who is based in the UK paid his fine for his release.
He was grateful to CCF and the donors and promised to turn a new leaf.
The Foundation screens interviews with prison inmates to advise the general public on the consequences of crime.
Anyone who wants to support the programme can contact 0242074276.
By Rudolph Nandi
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