A circuit court at Akim Swedru in the Birim South District, on Friday sentenced a 22-year-old unemployed, who broke into a cocoa shed at Adiembra and stole a bag of cocoa beans, to three years imprisonment in hard labour. Kwabena Appianing pleaded guilty to unlawful entry and stealing. Police Chief Inspector Ben Osei Kwadwo told the court presided over by Mr Edward Kwame Bosompem Apenkwa that Mr Atta Bekoe is a Purchasing Clerk of the Adwumapa Cocoa Buying Company, Adiembra Society, while Appianing also lived at the same village. He said on December 16, this year at about 0200 hours members of a neighbourhood watch committee patrolling Adiembra near Akim Swedru spotted the convict in the darkness. Chief Inspector Kwadwo said after the group drew near to the Adiembra Roman Catholic School compound, the they found that Appianing was carrying a bag of dried cocoa beans and was subsequently confronted. He stated that Appianing's explanation was not convincing and the group arrested and escorted him to the Adiembra chief's palace. The Prosecutor said it was at the palace that Appianing confessed his act, that he stole the cocoa beans from the Adwumapa Cocoa Buying Company at Adiembra. Chief Inspector Kwadwo stated that when Mr Bekoe was briefed about the theft, the convict was escorted to the Akim Swedru Police Station and made a report to the police. He said when the police inspected the scene of crime, it was detected that the padlocks of the cocoa shed were badly damaged and the door forcibly opened. Source: GNA