Two drivers, Emmanuel Benson and Kwasi Owusu, who chopped off a man’s ear and made away with his Toyota Corolla taxi cab, have been sentenced to a total jail term of 55 years by an Accra Circuit Court.

The Toyota taxi cab with registration number GW 3159-11, worth GH¢11,000 was reportedly snatched by the convicts at Kasoa.

They were, however, apprehended by the police when an informant spotted the taxi cab at Accra New Town, after the police were informed of the missing vehicle.

Appearing before the court presided over by Mr. Francis Obiri with three separate charges – conspiracy, robbery and causing harm – Emmanuel Benson, however, pleaded guilty and was jailed to 25 years, whilst Kwasi Owusu’s sentence was deferred.

The court, yesterday found Kwasi Owusu guilty, after the prosecution had brought enough evidence to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt, and jailed him 30 years.

Narrating the facts to the court, the Prosecutor, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Patrick Morkeh, said on August 8, 2011, at about 12 midnight, the Regional Criminal and Investigative Department (CID), team on night duty were informed that a taxi cab had been snatched at Kasoa.

The information, he noted, was then relayed to all patrol teams to look out for the taxi and arrest the occupants.

“The regional CID patrol team responded and also alerted its underground informants. One of the informants later called the team that he had spotted the taxi at Accra Newtown, and they (patrol team) quickly moved there and arrested the suspects with the taxi,” he told the court.

DSP Morkeh added that they admitted the offence wholeheartedly during interrogation, whilst the complainant identified them as the people who attacked him and made away with his taxi cab.