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, lived at Asankran-Breman, near Asankrangwa, in the Amenfi West District of the Western Region.

According to the prosecutor, there had been increased in robbery cases within Asankrangwa, Asankran-Breman and its surrounding communities, therefore, the residents in these communities 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, the second accused person, who is now at large, and Ibrahim Abubakari, the third accused person, now deceased, holding a bag.

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

When the Committee’s 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’s members who subjected Abubakari to severe beatings.

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

According to the prosecutor, 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.

He said investigations were underway to apprehend Yakubu .