Woman jailed for stolen church TV

An Accra Circuit Court has sentenced a 24-year-old woman to 12 months imprisonment for stealing a 50-inch Television (TV) at Teshie Military Barracks in Accra. 

Mawuena Tamakloe was convicted and sentenced after she pleaded guilty to charges of unlawful entry and stealing the TV valued at GHC8,900.

The court sentenced Mawuena to 12-month imprisonment each on charges of unlawful entry and stealing.

Prosecution led by Chief Inspector Clemence Takyi told the court that the request by the court for a pregnancy test to be conducted on Mawuena was negative.

The prosecution and the case investigator narrated to the court how Mawuena escaped after they had run the test and were returning to the Police station.

The case investigator told the court Mawuena crossed the main road close to the Police and hopped into a commercial vehicle and a taxi.

According to the female case investigator, Mawuena was nabbed after a Rider offered to assist her by chasing two vehicles that Mawuena hid in.

The relieving Judge then advised Mawuena to go and reform in prison.

Earlier Chief Inspector Takyi prayed the court to withdraw the charge of causing unlawful damage to the tv, a property of the Church of Pentecost (COP) Whistler Barracks Worship Centre.

The court had earlier on entered a plea of not guilty on the charge of causing unlawful damage, after the convict had offered some explanation.

Handing down the sentence, the court presided over by Mrs Susan Edufful said she took into consideration the age of the accused, the fact that accused was a first offender, her plea for leniency and the value of the item.

Prosecution earlier told the court that the complainant Ebenezer Oppong Aboagye was an Elder of COP, Whistler Barracks Worship Centre located within the Teshie Military Academy while Mawuena, unemployed, was a resident of Tema Community 2.

Inspector Takyi said on May 15, 2025 at about 8:30am, Mawuena was spotted by some Military officers who were witnesses in the case, carrying a 50 -inch Hisense UHD 4K flat screen TV out of the Military Academy Barrack, specifically from the COP, Whistler Barrack Worship Centre direction with the church’s inscription on the TV box.

Prosecution told the court that when the convict was interrogated by the officers, her explanation did not go down well so she was handed over to the Military Police for further questioning.

During the questioning, Mawuena Confessed to having stolen the TV from one of the offices within the church auditorium.

Prosecution said the complainant was informed and Mawuena was handed over to the Police together with the TV for action.

The prosecutor told the court that the police personnel in the company of the complainant and the convict visited the church and detected that the inner wooden door to the head pastor’s office had been damaged.

The court was told that Mawuena admitted the offence in her caution statement.