A Tarkwa Circuit Court has sentenced a 20- year old farmer, Simon Duada, to 25 years imprisonment in hard labour for conspiracy to commit crime and attempted robbery.

He pleaded guilty to the charges and was sentenced on his own plea.

Prosecuting, Police Detective Chief Inspector Oscar Amponsah, told the Court presided over by Mr. Justice Emmanuel Bart-Plange Brew that the complainant, is a businessman and lives at Asankran-Breman, near Asankrangwa, in the Amenfi West District of the Western Region.

He said there had been increased in robbery cases within Asankrangwa, Asankran-Breman and its surrounding communities, therefore, the residents formed neighbourhood watchdog committees to help them crackdown such robberies.

On January 24, around 0300 hours, Inspector Amponsah said when members of the Committee were on their usual patrols, they saw Duada (convict), Fusiene Yakubu, second accused person, who is now at large and Ibrahim Abubakari, third accused person, now deceased holding a bag.

He said members of the Committee confronted them to ascertain the content of the bag and Duada and Yakubu took to their heels, but Abubakari was left behind with the bag.

When the committee members apprehended Abubakari and searched the bag, one AK47 rifle and 27 rounds of ammunitions were found in it.

They demanded from him how he acquired the firearms but he refused to disclose the source and that provoked the committee members who subjected Abubakari to severe beatings.

He was later handed over to the Asankragwa Police together with the items.

The prosecutor said Abubakari was admitted at the Asankragwa Catholic Hospital for treatment but died the next day.

The prosecutor said Duada was also arrested that same day around 0800 hours by a taxi driver and was handed over to the police to assist in investigation which was underway.