The Asokore-Mampong District Court has fined a father and his son GH¢2,400 each after finding them guilty of stealing a fowl, damaging a mobile phone, and assaulting the owner at Buokrom Limex Quarry in the Ashanti Region.

The convicts, Kingsley Kofi Kumi, 54, and his 20-year-old son, Kingsley Abeka, a trader, pleaded not guilty to charges of causing unlawful damage, assault, and stealing, but were convicted after a full trial.

They risk serving two months in prison each in default of payment and have also been ordered to compensate the complainant, Jennifer Sarpong, with GH¢2,000.

Police Chief Inspector David Opoku Kwabi, who prosecuted the case before Hilder Esther Wryter, told the court that the complainant and the convicts were neighbours at Buokrom Limex Quarry.

On March 25, 2024, at around 11 a.m., Kofi Kumi reportedly went to the complainant’s drinking spot and informed her that his son, Abeka, had slaughtered her fowl and that she should come for it.

The complainant refused and instead demanded payment of GH¢70, the value of the fowl. This led to a quarrel when Abeka, who was nearby, overheard the exchange.

According to the prosecution, the complainant attempted to record the altercation on her Samsung Galaxy A22 phone, valued at GH¢2,500, but Kumi snatched the phone, smashed it on the ground, and stepped on it.

He then dragged the complainant into a gutter, held her by the hair, and together with his son, physically assaulted her.

Bystanders intervened and separated them, after which the complainant lodged a report at the Buokrom Police Station, leading to their arrest.

In their caution statements, both men denied the accusations, claiming that the complainant’s phone fell into the gutter and got damaged when she tried to take a video.

The court, however, found them guilty based on the evidence presented and handed down the fines and compensation order.

GNA