Accra, Jan. 11, GNA - An Accra Circuit Court on Tuesday sentenced th= ree persons to 50 years imprisonment each for raping a woman after robbing her and the husband at gun point in Weija, a suburb of Accra. The three, Fred Agyapong, Christopher Gbetoryeku and Kwame Adjei pleaded not guilty to conspiracy and robbery. The court presided over by Mr Eric Kyei Baffour however, found them guilty and sentenced them to 10 years imprisonment each for conspiracy and 50 years for robbery. The sentences were to run concurrently.

The court held that prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt. The prosecution's case was that on September 18, 2007, at about 02.3= 0 hours the accused persons together with one other Gideon Agama aka 93Lord Kenya", deceased, went to the couple's house at Weija with guns, cutla= sses and other weapons and stole money, groceries, mobile phones and jewellery. It said Gbetoryeku not satisfied with their action, ordered the complainant to call his wife and Gbetoryeku took her to their matrimonial bed and raped her, after which the accused persons bolted. However, on September 23, 2007, the Police Patrol Team came upon Agama their accomplice and on the verge of death screaming for help. It said Agama who was lying in a pool of blood with a locally manufactured pistol lying beside him, told the patrol team that he together with Gbetoryeku and Adjei had participated in series of robberies during th= e past five days until he met his fate at Weija.

The prosecution said Agama told the Police that he and another group went on a robbery spree and he was apprehended by vigilantes but his accomplices escaped. It said Agama died while being escorted to the hospital. The prosecution said Police investigations however led to the arrest o= f the accused persons at their different hideouts in Accra. It said during interrogation, Adjei mentioned Gbetoryeku and Agyapong as his accomplices in some robberies committed.