A Circuit Court at Berekum in the Brong-Ahafo Region on Wednesday convicted a robber, Salifu Miko, 28 to 17 years imprisonment in hard labour for robbing a student, aged 15 of GH?110.00 at knife-point.

Miko, unemployed and a resident of Amangoase, a suburb of Berekum, was charged with robbery but his two other accomplices, known only as Ali and Abu are at large. They stood as first, second and third accused respectively.

The court rejected his plea for mercy when he said “I have been in prison custody for long”, but the sentence commenced from February 13, 2012 when he was remanded.

The presiding judge, Mr. Isaac Bright Akwantey, responded that he had taken his plea into consideration but the court was not oblivious that the crime he had committed was grievous.

“Hence, in protecting the society the court must release the full force of the law to crush such persons who could wake up in the early hours of the day to attack people and collect their monies and other belongings”, Mr. Akwantey added.

Meanwhile, before the judge’s reply to the plea and pronouncement of sentence, the prosecutor, Inspector Moses Afari Obiri, informed the court that: “Miko is a known criminal and that on October 10, 2007, he was convicted to 18 months imprisonment for attacking some ladies and snatching their mobile phones”.

He earlier told the court the complainant, Ebenezer Adjei, a student at Sefwi Debiso in the Western Region arrived at Berekum lorry station at about 0600 hours on December 30, 2011 to print some photographs for his father.

Inspector Obiri said Miko and one other approached Adjei to assist them to locate Oppong chemical store at the Berekum station, but the complainant replied he was a stranger in town and did not know the location of that store.

He said Adjei then left the place to visit some relatives at Amangoase but the three accused persons followed and attacked him at knife-point and ordered him to surrender all the money on him else they would stab him.

Prosecution added that, Miko then held Ajei’s hands whilst one of the accomplices searched his pocket and removed GH?110.00 after which Miko started beating the complainant who then started shouting for help.

Inspector Obiri stated that Miko’s step-mother, whose house was close by, heard the shouts and ran to the scene and told him to stop beating the complainant.

The prosecutor said Miko then told the step-mother Adjei had stolen his (Adjei) mother’s money and she had instructed them to retrieve it, but the complainant countered that Miko and his accomplices had rather attacked him at knife-point and had taken his GH?110.00.

He said Adjei reported the matter to the Police which led to the arrest of Miko three days later and he admitted the offence during interrogation and mentioned Ali and Abu as his accomplices.**