Crime & Punishment of Friday, 20 April 2012

Source: GNA

Carjacker jailed 32 years

A Kumasi Circuit Court has sentenced a trader, who together with two others robbed a taxi-cab driver of his GH¢1,800.00, to 32 years imprisonment.

Emmanuel Okyere and his accomplices also removed the car tape, tools and personal effects of the victim from his Opel Vetra vehicle.

He pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy and robbery.

A State Attorney, Mr Emmanuel Lawrence Kwadwo Otoo-Boison, told the court presided over by Justice Emmanuel Amoh-Yartey that, the crime was committed on April 15 at about 0340 hours.

Michael Owusu, the driver, had just returned from a trip to Accra with his taxi and was carrying with him an amount of GH¢1,800.00.

He decided to drive to the Asafo Neoplan Station to buy food.

There, Okyere and his accomplices approached him and asked that he carried them in his vehicle to Atonsu-Kuwait at an agreed fee, which he readily accepted.

The prosecution said, midway through the journey, the convict and his colleagues pulled out a gun and knives, and ordered him to surrender the money he had on him.

They also removed the car tape, tools and other personal effects and fled.

Okyere left his pair of slippers in the car and with the assistance of a witness in the case, this was used to trace him to his house.

He was arrested and in his caution statement admitted the offence and mentioned Alebe and Cudjoe as his other crime partners.

He led the police to their houses but they had gone into hiding.

The car tools and other personal effects of the driver were recovered from the room of Alebe.**