The Dzodze Magistrate Court, presided over by Mr Lawrence Buernor Buer, on November 13, 2017, sentenced a Primary 4 pupil teacher, Mac-Billy Ani, to fines for assaulting a technical staff of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), and illegally tapping electricity.

The accused, Mac-Billy Ani, who pleaded guilty to both offences, was sentenced to a fine of GH¢ 1,200.00 for both offences or in default, serve twelve months in prison with hard labour. 

The accused was also ordered to pay a compensation of GH¢ 2,000.00 to the complainant, Emmanuel Agbemadu. Additionally, the accused was ordered to sign a bond to be of good behaviour for twelve months. 

While the compensation was to be paid immediately, the trial magistrate ordered the court fine to be paid on November 27, 2017.

The facts of the case as presented in court by the police prosecutor said, the accused, was caught in October by an ECG technician, for illegally connecting electricity to his home at Ehi-Biase Kpota in the Ketu North District of the Volta Region.

The Technician, Emmanuel Agbemadu, on one of his routine checks of customers’ premises, observed that Mac-Billy had illegally tapped supply from another customer because he had earlier been disconnected for non-payment of his electricity bill. 

Emmanuel thus disconnected the illegal connection but before he left the premises, the accused arrived home and ordered him to re-fix the cables. In the ensuing confrontation, the suspect pounced on the complainant and punched him in the face several times.

According to the prosecution, it took the intervention of some neighbours to rescue the ECG staff from the grips of the Accused. With blood oozing profusely from Emmanuel’s nostrils and mouth, he made a report at the police station and later went to the hospital.

An assessment by the Loss Control Unit of the Electricity Company of Ghana in Ho confirmed that power was illegally tapped without recourse to the Company. 

The accused, who initially pleaded not guilty to the charges, later changed his plea to guilty with an explanation. He explained that the complainant provoked him by first piercing him with his working tool.