An unemployed driver, Emmanuel Appiah, has been struck by ‘stroke’ after he was sentenced to three years imprisonment by a court in the Central Region for stealing.

According to Emmanuel’s sister-in-law, Ruth, he fell unconscious whiles he was being escorted from court to prison to begin his sentence.

Narrating what led to Emmanuel’s unfortunate situation, Ruth said her brother-in-law, who was a taxi driver, came across an abandoned rusted car axle in the middle of a road under construction.

She indicated that Emmanuel took the metal and sold it out to a scrap dealer for five hundred Ghana cedis.

Ruth said after Emmanuel had sold the metal, a man from nowhere showed up claiming to own the axle and caused his arrest even after he retrieved the metal and the money from Emmanuel.

“The man took the money and the metal and insisted on his arrest. The supposed owner also caused the arrest of the scrap dealer who bought the metal,” she told crimecheckghana.

Ruth said Mr Appiah was arraigned before an Ofankor High Court without legal representation due to financial difficulties. She said the judge sentenced him to three years imprisonment.

“Emma couldn’t believe he was going to prison, so out of shock, he collapsed in the vehicle he was being convened in. Unfortunately, when he gained consciousness, he could not move his body,” she narrated.

She added, “When he was taken to the St. Gregory Hospital at Budumburam, the doctors confirmed that he has ‘stroke’. He is currently receiving treatment awaiting his sentence, with two police officers guarding him. The scrap dealer is also on remand.”

The Executive Director of Crime Check Foundation (CCF) urged the government to equip the Legal Aid Commission with personnel to improve legal representation for persons who cannot afford the services of lawyers.