73 year old prison inmate, Francis Mensah Shenu curses his stars for been bullied in prison by his colleagues who could have been his grandchildren.
Mr. Shenu was sentenced to a two year jail term for allegedly double selling a Five Hundred Ghana Cedis piece of land. According to him, one of his brothers earlier leased the land to a farmer but later asked him to sell it to another neighbor. He said the farmer sued him in Court after realizing a building project was been undertaken on the land.
“My brother asked me to sell the same land to enable him take care of his medical bills. I interrogated him but he insisted he did not sell it to the farmer because he does not have duplicate receipts. I was assisted by my son and my brother’s son to sell the land.” He told crimecheckghana.
Mr. Shenu said though the farmer couldn’t prove to the court he bought the land, he was charged for indulging in the dubious act. He said he was sentenced when he returned to court two months after he went to see to the burial of one of his uncles.
“The Judge requested that I present my accomplices but unfortunately they were all deceased. On the 16th of March I asked someone to represent me in court because one of my uncles who was the only person left with me had also passed and I had to see to his burial. When I returned to court, the Judge sentenced me to two years imprisonment.” He said.
Recounting his experience in prison, he said regardless of his age he had to abide by the rules governing inmates including demeaning duties. “We were packed in the cells so we have to be forcefully pushed into one corner to make space for sleeping. In the process my knee got injured and when I tried to wake up the next morning, I fell. In fact, I cried. Every inmate regardless of age goes through affliction. There is a judge, commander, a cell leader, cell father and Corporal in prison.” He said.
Mr. Mensah’s dilemma. “According to the 32 laws, I was asked to scrub the toilet for a month and I couldn’t complain because if I had uttered a word I would have been beaten. Others include; you don’t have to wait at the gate for more than 2 minutes. You will also be fined if you are caught indulging in homosexuality. Moreover, you don’t have to talk during bedtime and your sleeping place could be stolen when you wake up to visit the washroom.” He lamented.
CCF’s Time with the Prisoner Series exposes the harsh conditions in prison to serve as a deterrent to others who are committing crimes but have not been apprehended.
