Crime & Punishment of Saturday, 23 August 2014

Source: GNA

Trader remanded on robbery charge

An Accra Circuit Court on Friday remanded one Stephen Dodoo, a trader into police custody for robbery and causing unlawful harm to three persons.

Stephen pleaded not guilty to the charges before the court presided over by Mr Francis Obiri but was however remanded to re-appear on September 4.

The facts of the case as presented by Chief Superintendent of Police Duuti Tuaruka are that, the victims, Kwame Tawiah, Ruth Pomah and Isaac Yeboah are traders who live at Kwashieman Been-To, while the accused is also a trader currently residing at Adjei-Kojo.

He said on July 22, 2012, the victims retired to bed at their home around 2200 hours, and at about 0230 hours, Kwame, who was sleeping in the hall was woken up by an unusual noise.

The prosecution said Kwame then spotted the accused person who had then broken into the hall armed with knife and was picking his Nokia X2 mobile phone.

Chief Superintendent Tuaruka said before Kwame could shout the accused person had already stabbed him three times with the knife. The victim started struggling with him amidst shouting for assistance.

He said the noise attracted Ruth and Isaac who came to his aid, but the accused person again stabbed the two of them before scaling the fence wall and bolted with the mobile phone after Kwame had identified and mentioned his name as Stephen.

He told the court that on July 31 2014, the accused person was arrested for a similar offence and the victims identified him as the one who robbed and harmed them on the said date.