Koforidua Circuit Court "A", presided over by Mrs Barbara Tetteh Charway, on Monday sentenced a pastor to five years imprisonment in hard labour for defrauding by false pretence.
Police Inspector Eric Twum-Frimpong, prosecuting, told the court that on March 30, the convict, Emmanuel Agbeko, introduced himself as a store owner at Nkurakan near Koforidua to the complainant,Mercy Adodo, a trader.
He said the complainant who was in need of a store to rent paid GHc 440 out of the GHc 540 rent
charged by the convict.
The prosecutor said three days later, the complainant was cleaning the store when a witness in the case and owner of the facility confronted her.
It was through the confrontation that Ms Adodo got to know that Agbeko rented the store from the witness, for one year and that the contract had expired about three months ago.
Inspector Twum-Frimpong said all efforts to get in touch with Agbeko proved futile and a report was lodged to the police, leading to his arrest.