Court jails man 25 months for setting three vehicles ablaze

The Accra Circuit Court 10 has sentenced a 35-year-old man to 25 months’ imprisonment with hard labour for setting fire to vehicles at a mechanic shop, resulting in the destruction of three cars, valued at GH¢195,000.  

Emmanuel Lewis Ebuka, who denied causing the damage, was tried and convicted on three counts of unlawful damage after the court found him culpable.  

The court sentenced him to 25 months’ imprisonment with hard labour on each count, to run concurrently.  

Presenting the facts, Police Chief Inspector Clement Takyi told the court that the complainant, Mr Joshua Nii Kuntso Alabi, is an auto mechanic who lives in Nungua, Accra.  

He said Ebuka, an unemployed man with no fixed place of abode, was seen sleeping in one of the vehicles parked at the complainant’s workshop at Teshie Fertiliser in July 2025.  

The prosecution said the workers at the shop ordered him to leave and warned him not to return.  

Chief Inspector Takyi said that on August 8, 2025, at about midnight, Ebuka returned to the workshop, entered a Chrysler Voyager with registration number GT 242 Z and smoked inside the vehicle.  

After smoking, he allegedly threw the cigarette butt into the vehicle, causing it to catch fire.  

The prosecution said Ebuka fled the scene after noticing that someone had seen him.  

The fire subsequently spread to other vehicles at the workshop, including a Ford Ranger pickup with registration number GW 2615 R, a Toyota 4Runner with registration number GS 1990 Z, and a Toyota Tacoma pickup with registration number GC 1421-10.  

The complainant and his workers attempted to extinguish the blaze before personnel from the Ghana National Fire Service arrived.  

The court heard that the Chrysler Voyager, Ford Ranger pickup and Toyota 4Runner were completely destroyed by the fire, while the Toyota Tacoma was partially damaged.  

The three vehicles destroyed were valued at GHC75,000, GHC40,000 and GHC80,000, respectively, bringing the total loss to GHC195,000.  

Chief Inspector Takyi said Ebuka was later arrested and admitted the offence in his caution statement.  

Following investigations, he was charged and brought before the court, which subsequently convicted and sentenced him.  

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DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.