The Hohoe Circuit Court has sentenced Bright Abri, 29, a farmer, to one-year imprisonment for stealing two old water pumping machines worth GH¢1,600.

Abri pleaded guilty with an explanation but that could not exonerate him.

Inspector Rachel Osei Agyapomaa told the court, presided over by Mr Michael Johnson Abbey, that the complainant was a motor mechanic.

On April 15, the complainant left some old water pumping machines in his shop.

The following morning, at about 0500 hours, he left home to his farm and whilst there, he had a call that Abri had been arrested with some water pumping machines, thus he should go and identify the items.

The prosecutor said the complainant, upon arrival at his shop, detected that two of the water pumping machines brought to him for repairs had been stolen.

He then proceeded to the convict's house, where he identified the two machines.

Witnesses in the case told the complainant that the convict was caught with the machines at the time he was bargaining with a scrap dealer passing by.

Inspector Agyapomaa said the convict was arrested and sent to the police station with the machines, where a formal complaint was made.

The convict denied stealing the machines during initial investigations from the complainant's shop but later admitted the offence.

He said on the said date, at about 0430 hours, he went to the complainant's motor shop and stole the two machines, which he sent to his house to sell as scraps.