The Mankessim Circuit Court has sentenced a 24-year-old herbalist to 30 years imprisonment for robbery at Asuokor, near Breman-Asikuma in the Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa District of the Central Region.

The convict, John Awila also known as “Nana Kojo Agbeko”, claimed to be a reporter with Onua TV and Passion TV.

He pleaded guilty to three counts of robbery and pleaded for leniency but the court presided over by Veronique Abena Praba Tetteh, convicted him for the offences.

The Attorney General's Office is also preparing advice on a docket to prosecute the convict for possible murder and illegal possession of firearms.

Detective Chief Inspector Alhassan Iddrisu told the court that Elijah Addo, a teacher, and the complainant gave his red and yellow Toyota Yaris Taxi cab with registration number CR-5569-21 to Ishmael Assan, a driver to work and render sales.

The prosecutor said on Friday, February 9, the convict hired the driver to Breman-Asikuma but on reaching the Towoboase junction at Breman-Jamra, the convict instructed the driver to turn and drive towards Towoboase of which he obliged.

However, when they passed the Asuokor community leading to Towoboase town, the convict asked the driver again to drive back to Asuokor.

Along the Asuokor stretch, the prosecutor said the convict again ordered the victim to branch through a nearly unmotorable road, and in the process, the convict told the driver to park the car and follow him to a nearby village where his mother lives.

According to the prosecutor, they both took to the footpath and along the way, the convict turned hostile, suddenly pulled out a pistol from his bag, pointed at the driver and ordered him to surrender every valuable at his disposal.

Out of fear, the prosecutor said the driver gave out his bag containing a sum of Gh¢4400.00 and his mobile phone Techno Spark 8C, which is valued at Gh¢1000.00, to the convict.

The convict, notwithstanding, demanded the ignition key of the vehicle, and the driver who appeared helpless, gave it out.

Regardless of the driver’s pleadings for mercy, the convict shot the driver in his left ear, causing the victim to fall, bleeding profusely from the left eye.

Realising danger, the prosecutor said the convict left the victim in the wilderness and quickly bolted with the car.

Nearly an hour later, the prosecutor said the victim managed his way to the main road, where he met an old woman and narrated his ordeal to her.

The old woman assisted him by calling some taxi drivers from Bremen-Jamra who swiftly rushed the driver to Our Lady of Grace Hospital at Bremen-Asikuma.

The case was subsequently reported to the police and on Thursday, February 22, at about 1600 hours, the convict was arrested at Bremen-Brakwa while driving the taxi of which he had changed the colour to Ash and also removed the number plate.

The police then took the convict to his residence at Bremen-Asikuma where they retrieved a pistol with three live cartridges from his bedroom and after a thorough police investigation, he was charged with the offences.