Judge Gives Convict 2 Extra Years In Jail Over Outburst, Video Of Prisoner's Account Causes Stir

• Bawa Yussif bought 20 bags of rice from two men without knowing they were stolen items from his friend
• When he found out the items were stolen, Bawa returned them, but his friend got him arrested and prosecuted in court
• On the day he was sentenced, the prisoner got emotional and said some unprintable words to the judge, which earned him extra two years of jail term

A judge who presided over a theft case in a circuit court in Adidome has added two more years to an initial five-year jail term for a man found guilty of theft due to his outburst in court.

Bawa Yussif, until he was arrested by the police and sentenced in court, operated a fast food joint in Adidome and Aveyime in Ghana's Volta Region.

In an interview with Crime Check Foundation, Bawa said he bought 20 bags of rice from two men in Adidome. But he later found out that the bags of rice were stolen items.

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He conceded that he should not have bought the rice from the two men since he knew them to be drug addicts and not businessmen. He also thought the price at which they sold the bags of rice should have made him rethink his decision to buy them. They sold the rice at GH¢100 per bag when it was sold at GH¢160 or GH¢170 per bag at the time.

He realised they were stolen goods when it was announced that 20 bags of rice belonging to a woman were missing. Bawa quickly contacted a mutual friend to mediate between him and the actual owner of the rice.

When they went to speak to the owner, she was grateful for Bawa’s honesty and decided to take only 10 bags of rice. However, Bawa was later arrested by the police, accompanied by the rice owner and her husband.

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Bawa said he was shocked but believed the matter would be quashed. He said at one hearing, his friend wanted to dismiss the case, but the judge refused.

“My friend told the Adidome Circuit Court judge to dismiss the case because she had recovered the items. She said her husband pressured her to follow the matter through. But the judge told her she could not waste the court’s time.”

The judge sentenced Bawa to five years imprisonment. The sentence made Bawa sad, leading him to cry and verbally abuse the judge.

“I told the judge that if the woman is asking you to close the case and you have still sentenced me, God will punish you. I told him they would dismiss him as a judge. Everyone in the court cried because they knew I was not bad person. In his power, the judge added two years to my sentence,” Bawa narrated.

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Bawa said the judge has since been dismissed from the judicial service. He hopes to be released to return to cooking and selling food.

Social media users react to the video

Facebook users have been commenting on the video. Below are some of the comments.

Obedience Mensah said:

Awww Sorry Bawa. Your story is a sad one. God will restore you. Be extra careful when you are out.

Bernice Okrah commented:

This is really sad. The guy seems really honest

Shaibu Arise wrote:

So who judge and judges? Because I don't think some of the judgement are right to sentence some people like that, Ghana is sick,

Agyenim Boateng Oldsoldier posted:

Oh gosh, his story is so pathetic..May the Lord see him through again

HrhRoyalswtnx Menerva added:

Awwwww hmm I'm teary watching this video. He's very honest and remorseful as well.

Watch the interview below:

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Source: YEN.com.gh