A 24-year-old unemployed woman, Mawuena Tamakloe, has been sentenced to 12 months in prison by an Accra Circuit Court for unlawfully entering a church office at Teshie Military Barracks and stealing a 50-inch television valued at GH¢8,900.
The stolen item belonged to the Church of Pentecost (COP), Whistler Barracks Worship Centre, where she broke into the head pastor’s office, damaging the wooden inner door before taking the television.
The court, presided over by Mrs Susan Edufful, handed her a 12-month jail term each for unlawful entry and stealing.
In her judgement, the judge considered Mawuena’s young age, her status as a first-time offender, and her plea for mercy, but emphasised that the law must take its course.
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.
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.
Delivering the sentence, the judge advised Mawuena to take the prison term as a turning point in her life and urged her to reform.
Background
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.
