A 35-year-old tailor accused of fraudulently embezzling an unspecified sum from the donation box of the Star of the Sea Catholic Church has appeared in Dansoman Circuit Court.
On a second occasion, Moses Vincent is suspected of stealing an envelope containing GH₵600 that was placed on the altar of the church.
Vincent was charged with two counts of trespass, two counts of theft of GH₵600 belonging to the church and being on premises for unlawful purposes.
Vincent’s actions were exposed when they were captured on closed circuit television (CCTV) footage from the church.
He pleaded guilty to theft but denied the other charges.
The court, presided over by Chief Judge Halima El Abdel-Bashit, found Moses guilty of theft on June 19, 2024, based on his own plea, and remanded him in custody until June 26, 2024.
The other charges were dropped.
Vincent reappeared in court on June 26, 2024, and was asked if he still maintained his guilty plea to the theft charge, to which he responded in the affirmative.
The court weighed the mitigating and aggravating factors and found that a good Samaritan in the court gave Vincent a warning after he paid the money he had stolen from the church.
The court ordered him to sign an undertaking to remain on good behaviour for the next 12 months.
The prosecution told the court that the plaintiff is a security guard, Chantelle Agbenyoh, at Exhibition Roundabout, Dansoman.
The paper claims that the inmate, Vincent, is staying at an arts centre in Accra.
The prosecution said that on June 14, 2024, at about 8.10pm, Chantelle, with the help of the church’s head of security, Thomas Wahab, arrested Vincent and took him to the police station.
Prosecutors said the plaintiff reported that on March 20, 2024, Vincent was seen on the church’s surveillance camera entering the church grounds and stealing money from the church’s offering box.
The court heard that elders from the church came to Dansoman Police Station to plead for Vincent and he was released.
The prosecution said Vincent was again seen on CCTV footage in May 2024 unlawfully entering the church premises and removing an envelope containing 600 cedis in cash that was located on the church altar.
Vincent was rearrested by police and admitted his guilt in a warning statement.
Prosecutors said the stolen money was never recovered.
Police have received a copy of the CCTV footage for evidentiary purposes.
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