The Tarkwa circuit court has sentenced a 24-year-old small-scale miner, Richard Arthur, aka Afianga to two years imprisonment for setting his stepfather’s single-room mud house worth GH¢20,000 on fire and destroying other items amounting to GH¢50,000.  

Arthur, charged with causing unlawful damage, pleaded guilty to the offence and begged the court for forgiveness.   

Chief Superintendent of Police Alex Odonkor, prosecuting, told the court presided over by Mrs Hathia Ama Manu that the complainant, Kojo Donkor was a farmer and stepfather of Arthur.   

He said the complainant and Arthur were residents of Achiase near Aboso in the Prestea Huni-Valley Municipality.   

The complainant got married to Arthur’s mother when he was four years old and has since taken care of him to date.   

The prosecution said while Arthur was growing up, he started taking hard drugs which made him develop a deviant character in the house.   

On September 5, this year, the complainant bought a bag of rice for Arthur’s younger siblings but later detected that Arthur had been Stealing the rice at his mining site and he confronted him.  

Arthur became upset and threatened to harm the complainant, and he chased him (complainant) from the house forcing him to sort refuse in a nearby bush.   

Chief Superintendent Odonkor said about two hours later, the complainant went back to the house and realised Arthur had set his single-room mud house on fire and his personal effects such as kente cloths,  ‘ecolack’ bags, spraying machine, insecticide, cutlasses, mattress, assorted eating bowls and cooking utensils, wooden bed, bed sheets, pillows among others worth GH¢ 50,000 were all damaged.  

The court heard that the complainant reported the case at the Wassa Aboso Police Station for investigation.   

According to the prosecution, Arthur absconded after the act, but on September 30, 2024, he was arrested from his hideout at the Gangway community site by the youth who were earlier informed and handed him over to the police.   

Chief Superintendent Odonkor said Arthur led the police to the scene and demonstrated how he set the room on fire, and after investigations, he was charged with the offence.