An 18-year old driver’s mate, who together with three other persons now on the run, attacked and robbed a teacher of his two cellular phones and cash, has been sentenced to 20 years imprisonment by a Kumasi Circuit Court.

Kwaku Adjei pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy and robbery. An Assistant State Attorney, Mr Adoma Kontoh, told the court presided over by Justice Emmanuel Amo-Yartey that the complainant, Mr Garnet Badu, lives at Foase in the Atwima-Kwanwoma District.

On January 21, at about 2300 hours, he joined a taxi cab from Suame Roundabout to Kajetia with two other passengers already in the car, who got down midway through the journey.

He said after travelling some few metres from where the two alighted, the driver stopped, switched off the engine and opened the bonnet, under the pretext that the car had development a mechanical fault.

The prosecution said, the complainant became suspicious and decided to do the remaining distance on foot.

All of a sudden, the convict in the company of the driver and the two other persons he had earlier met in the taxi cab emerged from the dark, holding knives and robbed him of his phones and cash of GH¢302.00.

The three managed to escape with the booty but the convict was arrested by Mr Badu with support of some other people and handed over to the police.**