An Accra Circuit Court has sentenced a woman to eight years imprisonment in hard labour for defrauding a man of GHC30,000 under the pretext of selling him a car.

Mary Abena Serwaa Afedzi pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to commit crime and defrauding by false pretense but was found culpable after trial.

Meanwhile, her accomplices, only named as Nana, alias David and Boadi are currently at large.

Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Fuseini Yakubu told the Court presided over by Ellen Ofei-Ayeh that Joseph Owusu Banahene, the complainant is the Principal Administrative Manager of the Ghana Health Service in Kumasi.

He said Mary was a trader and lived at Bortianor whilst her accomplices were suspected to be residents of Accra.

On January 26, 2020, the complainant saw an advertisement on an unregistered Toyota Corolla saloon car on “Tonaton sales” where he contacted David and they both agreed on GHS34,000.00 as the price after bargain.

ASP Yakubu said the next day, Mr Banahene, together with two witnesses in the case; Angela Gyasi-Nsiah and Patrick Kofi Asamoah, traveled from Kumasi to Accra to buy the car.

Complainant called David on phone upon reaching Accra and he directed them to the Achimota Charcoal Station where they met Boadi who took them to view the said car.

Prosecution said after the inspection, David asked Boadi to send them to Mary, his wife at the GIMPA Campus to make the payment, adding that Boadi sent them to Mary in the car for the payment.

ASP Yakubu said Mr Banahene paid GHS30,000 as part payment to Mary and the ignition was handed over to him but to his amazement, the vehicle was nowhere to be found when he, in the company of witnesses, went to where the car was parked.

He said when the complainant came back to where he had made the payment in the presence of the witnesses, Mary was not there as well as Boadi, based on this, a formal complaint was lodged with the CID Headquarters’ Auto Theft Unit.

ASP Yakubu said on May 21, 2020, Mary was arrested and she confessed taking the GHS30,000 from the complainant under David’s instructions.

However, she could not account for the money and after investigation, she was arraigned.
GNA