Miner Jailed for Arson After Setting Fire to Step-Father’s Home

Richard Arthur, a 24-year-old small-scale miner, has been sentenced to two years in prison for setting fire to his stepfather’s mud house in Achiase, near Aboso in the Prestea Huni-Valley Municipality.

The fire destroyed the house, valued at GH¢20,000, as well as personal belongings worth GH¢50,000.

Arthur, who pleaded guilty to causing unlawful damage, appeared before the Tarkwa Circuit Court, where he asked for leniency. The court, presided over by Mrs. Hathia Ama Manu, took his request into consideration but ultimately handed down the prison sentence.

In the prosecution’s statement, Chief Superintendent of Police Alex Odonkor explained that Arthur’s stepfather, Kojo Donkor, a farmer, had been married to Arthur’s mother since he was four years old, and had raised him as his own. However, as Arthur grew older, he became involved in drug use, which led to increasingly disruptive behavior at home.

On September 5, 2024, Donkor purchased a bag of rice for his younger children. When he discovered that Arthur had been stealing the rice and taking it to his mining site, a confrontation ensued. Arthur became furious, threatened to harm Donkor, and chased him into a nearby bush.

When Donkor returned home two hours later, he was horrified to find that Arthur had set their single-room mud house on fire. The blaze destroyed various household items, including kente cloths, cutlasses, a mattress, cooking utensils, and a wooden bed, causing total damages worth GH¢50,000.

Donkor reported the arson to the Wassa Aboso Police. Although Arthur fled the scene, he was eventually tracked down and arrested on September 30, 2024, in the Gangway community after being captured by a local resident who had been alerted to his whereabouts.

During police investigations, Arthur confessed to the crime and demonstrated how he had started the fire. He was subsequently charged with unlawful damage and sentenced to two years in prison