Court convicts miner for setting stepfather’s house on fire

The Tarkwa Circuit Court has sentenced a 24-year-old small-scale miner, Richard Arthur, also known as Afianga, to two years in prison for setting his stepfather’s single-room mud house on fire. The house, valued at GH¢20,000, along with other items worth GH¢50,000, was completely destroyed in the incident.

Arthur, charged with causing unlawful damage, pleaded guilty to the offence and begged the court for leniency.

Prosecuting, Chief Superintendent of Police Alex Odonkor told the court presided over by Mrs Hathia Ama Manu that the complainant, Kojo Donkor, a farmer and stepfather of Arthur, lived with him in Achiase near Aboso in the Prestea Huni-Valley Municipality.

The court heard that Donkor had married Arthur’s mother when Arthur was just four years old and had taken care of him since then. However, as Arthur grew older, he reportedly began using hard drugs, leading to deviant behaviour at home.

On September 5, 2024, Donkor bought a bag of rice for Arthur’s younger siblings. He later discovered that Arthur had been stealing the rice and taking it to his mining site. When confronted, Arthur became angry and threatened to harm his stepfather, chasing him into a nearby bush.

About two hours later, when Donkor returned home, he found that Arthur had set his single-room mud house on fire. The blaze destroyed several personal items, including kente cloths, ecolac bags, a spraying machine, insecticide, cutlasses, a mattress, eating bowls, cooking utensils, a wooden bed, bed sheets, and pillows, amounting to GH¢50,000 in damages.

Donkor reported the incident to the Wassa Aboso Police Station. Arthur fled the scene after committing the act but was arrested on September 30, 2024, at a hideout in the Gangway community. A local youth, who had been informed about the incident, apprehended him and handed him over to the police.

During police investigations, Arthur admitted to the crime and demonstrated how he had set the house on fire. Following the investigation, he was charged with causing unlawful damage and subsequently sentenced to two years in prison.