Crime & Punishment of Thursday, 15 June 2006

Source: GNA

Court remands teenager for robbery

Ejisu (Ash.), June 15, GNA - A 17-year old unemployed, Elvis Mensah, who robbed a woman at gun point at Abenase in the Ejisu-Juaben District, has been remanded by a magistrate's court at Ejisu. His plea was not taken.

The court presided over by Mrs Jane Bamfo, however, ordered that a forensic test should be conducted at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) to determine the correct age of the accused. This followed a challenge by the police that, Mensah, who already faces a charge of murder in another case, was not 17 as he claimed. Police Chief Inspector Twumasi Ankrah told the court that on May 29, the complainant, Madam Rose Gyamfuah, was in her room at Abenase near Onwe, when Mensah entered.

On entering the room, he pulled a locally made pistol and ordered her to surrender all her money and other valuables. Madam Gyamfuah allegedly outwitted him as she feigned opening her bag to bring out money but dashed out to raise the alarm. Sensing danger, Mensah quickly left the room and escaped into a nearby bush.

He later joined an Ejisu-bound taxicab in a bid to flee to Ejisu-Zongo, but he run out of luck as a passenger who had spotted him running into the bush called for help from other people to arrest him.