Crime & Punishment of Wednesday, 13 April 2016

Source: GNA

Mechanic sentenced for 21 years for robbery

A Circuit Court in Accra has sentenced William Wilson, a mechanic, to 21 years imprisonment for robbing a private security man of his communication gadgets and cash of GHC3,700.00.

The gadgets were a laptop, a tablet and a mobile phone.

The court presided over by Mr. Aboagye Tandoh, found Wilson on a charge of robbery, but it acquitted and discharged him on a charge of conspiracy to rob.
Osman Alhassan, who dishonestly received the items, was convicted to a fine of ¢6,000.00, but in default, he would go to jail for three years.

Prosecuting, Chief Inspector Kofi Adu, said the complainant, Joseph Amoah Azumah, lived at Akweteman, while Wilson who was a mechanic resided at Achimota, with Osman, a trader living at Chantan.

He said on the night of February 8, this year, the complainant left home for East Legon in his private car and on reaching a spot near the Akweteman Pentecost Church, he parked beside the road to receive a phone call.

The Prosecution said suddenly, William and his accomplice, one Bonney, now at large, pulled up on a motorbike and attacked the complainant with a pistol and robbed him of his Dell Laptop Computer valued at GHC1,100.00.

The prosecution said Wilson and Bonney also took away the complainant’s Samsung Galaxy Mobile Phone valued at GHC709.00, and a Samsung tablet also valued at GHC950.00 and cash of GHC3,700.00.

Police Chief Inspector Adu said at about 2300 hours the same night, the two went to sell the Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime Phone to Osman in his house at Chantan.
He said a tracking software on the phone, however, gave Osman up, as the complainant received messages of its usage.

The complainant, therefore, lodged a complaint with the Police and Osman was tracked and arrested at the Petroleum Estates, New Achimota. A Samsung phone found on him was identified by the complainant as his.

The prosecution told the court that William was later picked up, but his accomplice was yet to be found.

Osman admitted the offence in his caution statement and stated that he bought the phone at GHC350.00 from William and his accomplice very late in the night, the Prosecution said.