University student jailed for defrauding woman on fake admission promise
The Winneba District Magistrate’s Court has sentenced a 30-year-old student of the University of Education, Winneba (UEW) to 13 months imprisonment for defrauding by false pretences contrary to section 131 of the criminal and other offences 29/60.
Frank Anderson Junior pleaded guilty and appealed to the court to give him time to refund the money, however, the court, presided over by Madam Josephine Fosua Appiah, convicted him on his own plea and sentenced him accordingly.
Presenting the facts of the case, Detective Police Inspector Dorinda Azuma, the prosecutor, told the court that the complainant, Ms Emeta Cecilia Odarno, is unemployed, while the convict Frank Anderson Junior is a student of UEW, both residing in Winneba.
The prosecutor said in 2023, the complainant needed admission at UEW, and as a result, she contacted Simon Alhassan a witness in the case and also a student of UEW for assistance.
She said the witness then informed Anderson Junior the convict, whom he knew, could help the complainant get the admission, and the convict asked the complainant to pay GHc2,500.00 for the admission form and subsequent admission.
Ms Odarno, then paid the money through Alhassan the witness to the convict Anderson.
The prosecutor stated that on August 6, 2024, Ms Odarno received an admission letter for the 2023/2024 academic year from UEW in a PDF form on her phone from the witness who sent it to her from the convict.
The prosecutor said on receipt of the admission letter, the complainant intended to pay the school fees but had a challenge due to the index number given to her on the admission letter.
The prosecutor said the complainant contacted one Samuel Teye Dei also a witness, for assistance, who then contacted the convict, and the latter instructed that the complainant send him the fees of GHc2,300.00 through Teye Dei, which she did.
He said the convict later forwarded a UEW official receipt from Zenith Bank Ghana Limited, Winneba Branch, with Number 240207876A480F dated February 7, 2024, to the complainant through Teye Dei.
The prosecutor said all this while the complainant was attending lectures at the university, but later detected that the receipt given to her was fake.
Ms Odarno went to the Students Centre for verification, and it was confirmed that the admission letter was forged, hence her name was not in the system.
She reported the case to the police and the convict was apprehended and during the investigation, he returned the cash of Ghc2,230.00 electronically to Mohammed Samuel Alhassan who is the twin brother of witness Simon Alhassan, and cash of GHc4,850.00 was later retrieved from him.
After investigation, Anderson Junior was arraigned before the court and charged with the offence.