An Accra Circuit Court presided over by His Honour Aboagye Tandoh has sentenced Stephen Bediako (First Accused), Kwaku Nuworkpeh (Second Accused) and Abass Fuseini (Third Accused), to 24, 22 and 22 years imprisonment respectively, to run concurrently, on the charges of conspiracy to commit robbery and robbery.
The judge said that the robbers were initially charged on seven counts but he acquitted and discharged then on five counts because the victims failed to appear before the court.
He stated that the sentence was to serve as a deterrent to others who engage or seek to engage in similar criminal acts.
In reading the brief facts of the case, His Honour Aboagye Tandoh said that the First Complainant, Sani Abubakar and the Second Complainant, Issah Mohammed are business men resident in Ashalley Botwe and Kotobabi respectively.
He narrated that the First and Third Accused persons are unemployed and residents of Teshie, a suburb of Accra and Aflao in the Volta Region respectively whilst the Second Accused is a farmer and a resident of Agotime Kpetoe in the Volta Region.
The Judge explained that the Accused persons became friends about three months ago and the First Accused usually surveyed places he deemed fit to rob and would invite the Second and the Third Accused to rob.
“On 23rd August 2016, the First Accused invited the Second Accused who then invited the Third Accused, to meet at Teshie and embark on a robbery spree. The Second and Third Accused arrived on the 23rd of August, 2016 at about 6:00pm”, the judge narrated.
His Honour Aboagye Tandoh stated that on 24th August 2016 at about 8:00am, the Accused persons met at Fertilizer Road at Teshie, and waited patiently opposite Cosmos Forex Bureau for the arrival of the First and the Second Complainants.
He further stated at about 8:30 am, the Complainants arrived at Cosmos Forex Bureau. As soon as they entered to commence business, the Second Accused armed with a pump action gun moved to the entrance of the Forex Bureau whilst the First and Third Accused persons armed with locally manufactured pistols entered the forex bureau and ordered the Complainants to surrender their monies, mobile phones, and their Dell and HP laptops.
According to the judge, the Third Accused hit the forehead of the Second Complainant with the butt of his pistol, stole GH¢40, 000.00, XOF 67, 000 and ₦20, 000.00 from him and bolted.
“The First and Second Complainants raised the alarm which attracted a lot of people to pursue them for their arrest”, the judge said.
His Honour Aboagye Tandoh narrated that whilst being pursued, the First Accused fired his weapon to scare the people and they fled in different directions into a bush at the compound of Manna Mission Hospital and hid there.
A police patrol team arrived at the scene minutes later, arrested the Accused persons in the bush, and retrieved a sack containing GH¢4, 388.00 and a pump action gun from the Second Accused while a hunch bag containing one short barrel gun, one locally manufactured pistol, and thirteen rounds of Lion BB cartridges were retrieved from the Third Accused.
The brief facts read by the judge also indicated that the Second Accused brought the cartridges from Agotime Kpetoe. The Accused person usually kept the weapons with one Kojo who lives at Teshie and is yet to be arrested.
The Police’ brief facts stated that all the monies taken from the Complainants could not be accounted for after the arrest of the Accused persons.
Source: GhanaJustice/F.Kyeremateng
