Kwabena Frimpong, a labourer, has been sentenced to five years' imprisonment by the Adenta Circuit Court for stealing three air-conditioning outdoor units.

Frimpong stole the units valued at GH¢12,000 while working as a gardener for a retired lecturer at Amrahia, Accra.

He told the court that financial hardship led him to steal the equipment after his pregnant wife requested money.

Frimpong claimed he sold each unit for GH¢1,000 to a friend named Ebenezer, whose whereabouts remain unknown.

The presiding judge, Sarah Nyarkoa Nkansa, convicted him on his own plea and deferred sentencing.

The prosecution, led by Chief Inspector Eric Ransford Abban, said Frimpong had worked for the complainant for five years.

In March, while working in the compound, he removed the air-condition units and absconded.

Police arrested Frimpong at a construction site near Kotoka International Airport after he remained in hiding.

He admitted selling the items to Ebenezer, who resides in Dawhenya, but could not lead the police to recover them.