Cable thieves must be dealt with severely because their activities undermine the government's efforts to address the energy problems of the country, Asiedu Badu, a judge, has said. Such offenders, he said, are not patriotic and need to be dealt with accordingly. Mr Badu, presiding over the Cape Coast Circuit Court, made these remarks before sentencing Kwesi Atta, 35, to 10 years imprisonment with hard labour for stealing electricity cables valued at over GHc8oo, property of the Electricity Company of Ghana. Atta had pleaded guilty to the charge of destruction of public property and stealing. Prosecuting, Chief Inspector Hope Azasoo, told the court that Atta, a resident of Amamoma, near the University of Cape Coast, at dawn on December 25 went to North Ola Estate, a suburb of Cape Coast and cut some of the electricity cables in the area causing a blackout. Jude Agyekum, Emmanuel Appiah and Anthony Nsiah, all residents of the estate who were affected by the blackout, checked the poles connecting their houses and realised that one of the cables was hanging. Chief Inspector Azasoo said when they walked up from where the cable was hanging, they found Atta on top of a pole cutting off the other end of the cable. At the sight of the three residents, Atta threw away the implement he used in cutting the cable and took to his heels. He was however pursued, arrested and handed over to the police. Source: The Times