Crime & Punishment of Thursday, 26 September 2013

Source: GNA

Two robbers jailed 75 years

An Accra Circuit Court on Tuesday sentenced one Sowah Tetteh, a labourer and Moses Martei, a driver to a total of 75 years imprisonment for robbery and conspiracy to commit crime.

Sowah, 25, was sentenced to 45 years for robbery and 30 years for conspiracy to commit crime all to run concurrently, while Moses, 30, was sentenced to 30 years for conspiracy to commit crime.

They both pleaded not guilty to the charges, and were sentenced after the court presided over by Mr Francis Obiri found them guilty of the offences.

The convicts were said to have robbed one Prince Adedoyin of two laptop computers, valued GHc1, 200.00, three mobile phones costing GHc1,000.00, one traveling bag valued, GHc120.00 and a cash amount of GHc250.00.

The facts of the case as presented by Chief Superintendent of Police, Duuti Tuaruka, are that, the complainant is a hotel attendant resident at Teshie Kiddicare.

He said on June 25, the convicts at about 0230 hours armed themselves with a sharp cutlass and drove in a taxi to the complainant’s house.

Chief Superintendent of Police, Tuaruka, said the second convict waited in the taxi at the entrance of the house to keep watch, whilst the first convict holding the cutlass scaled the wall into the house.

He said Sowah then forced himself into the room of the complainant and brandishing the sharp cutlass, threatened to butcher him and two other inmates of the room if they do not submit to his demands.

He told the court that in the process he succeeded in robbing the complainant of the items and the cash.

The prosecution said as if that was not enough, Sowah locked his victims in the bathroom before leaving the premises to join Moses in the taxi, and then proceeded to Kwame Nkrumah Circle to sell their booty where they were arrested.

He said during interrogation the two admitted being involved in series of robberies within the metropolis and mentioned another accomplice, as the one who sell the robbery items.

He said subsequently they led the police to arrest the third accomplice and when his shop was searched, four mobile phones were retrieved, which the Sowah admitted being items obtained during his previous robbery expedition.

But the court found the third accused not guilty and was therefore discharged.