In a tale that could easily pass for a dark comedy, 32-year-old accountant Edward Unicorn—yes, that’s his real name—has found himself at the wrong end of the law after siphoning off a sizable sum from the Ghana Police Church to fund his obsession with an online betting game. The Adentan Circuit Court has sentenced Unicorn to two years in prison for dishonestly pocketing GH¢40,433.50, a move that seems to have put the final nail in his betting hopes.
Unicorn’s downfall? A little game called Aviator. If you’re unfamiliar, Aviator is an online game that promises sky-high wins, but for Edward Unicorn, the skies were anything but friendly.
Surprisingly, Unicorn didn’t beat around the bush when confronted in court. He came clean, admitting that he had pinched the church’s funds in a desperate attempt to turn a profit by playing the game. Unfortunately for him, the only thing that soared was his debt. “I spent the money by playing Aviator. I staked it and never won. I was desperate to win but lost,” he confessed, echoing the sentiments of gamblers the world over who have watched their hopes—and their money—disappear in a blink.
Unicorn, clearly trapped in a spiral of addiction, added, “I was addicted to Aviator, so my brother referred me to a doctor at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital. I called him twice but never went to see him.” It seems not even the promise of medical intervention could get him off this ill-fated flight path. And so, bit by bit, the church’s GH¢40,433.50 vanished into the digital ether, with nothing but a trail of empty bets to show for it.
The court proceedings, overseen by Mrs. Sedinam Awo Kwadam, were brisk and to the point. Unicorn pleaded guilty, leaving little room for debate. His addiction and subsequent attempts to seek help, though acknowledged, did little to sway the court’s decision. The verdict? A two-year stint behind bars and a fine of GH¢5,000. To add to his losses, GH¢2,775, which had been recovered from him, was promptly ordered to be returned to the Ghana Police Church.
In a statement that almost reads like a bad joke, the prosecution led by Chief Inspector Anim Darko revealed that the complainant in the case was not just any ordinary churchgoer but a police officer and chaplain of the very church Unicorn was supposed to serve. Talk about robbing Peter to pay Paul—except in this case, Peter is the police, and Paul is a relentless gambling addiction.
Unicorn had served as the church’s accountant, a position of trust that he gambled away, quite literally, when he began using church funds to fuel his obsession with Aviator. His betting strategy might have been less than sound, but his explanation in court was nothing if not sincere. However, sincerity alone wasn’t enough to save him from his fate.
In the end, this cautionary tale is yet another reminder of the devastating consequences that gambling addiction can have on both individuals and the communities they belong to. Edward Unicorn’s journey from church accountant to convicted felon is a stark example of how a seemingly harmless bet can spiral into something much more destructive.
As for Unicorn, his high-flying dreams have landed him in a much less glamorous place—a jail cell, where the stakes are much lower, but the price of failure, well, it’s already been paid.
