The Tamale circuit court presided over by Appiah William Twumasi, has sentenced 25-year-old Abdul Rahaman Alhassan, to a year's imprisonment with hard labour.

The convict is a tractor operator who was arrested by a joint military/police team at the E/A Primary School polling station for snatching a ballot box in Nanton during the NDC presidential and parlia­mentary primaries.

The Northern Regional Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Ebenezer Tetteh, who spoke to Daily Guide, said Abdul Rahaman Alhassan plead­ed guilty to the offence.

According to ASP Ebenezer Tetteh, "this should serve as a deterrent to those who are thinking of snatching ballot boxes during the 2016 general elections that when they are picked, irrespective of the political parties they belong to, they will be dealt with severely."

According to the Northern Regional police spokesman, two persons were seen on a motorbike coming towards the polling station, oblivious of the fact that the soldiers were fol­lowing them.

Abdul Rahaman Alhassan jumped down from the motorbike and snatched a ballot box, but his accom­plice, thinking his comrade-in-crime had sat on the motorbike, sped off, leaving him on the ground.

He tried running away but was arrested by the security personnel and sent to the Tamale Police Station for interrogation.

The ballot box was sent back to the polling station for voting to continue.

Sources said Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, Member of Parliament (MP) for the area, pleaded for the then suspect and suggested that they send him to the chief's palace instead of being kept at the police station.