A 20 year-old unemployed, Stephen Duodo, was on Thursday sentenced to 20 years imprisonment by an Accra Circuit Court for attempting to commit robbery. Stephen was convicted on his own plea.

He will however, reappear before the court on July 2 to face trial on the charge of using offensive weapon. Mr Francis Obiri, Presiding Judge, said the convict did not show mercy to his victim and therefore deserves no mercy, hence the harsher sentence to serve as a deterrent to others.

Chief Superintendent of Police Duuti Tuaruka told the court that the complainant is a cashier working with Safari Betting Centre, at Abuse Okai, while the convict is unemployed and resides at Agege, Dansoman.

He said on June 13, at about 2050 hours, the convict was among few others who went to watch the on-going world cup football games at Mybet.com a betting centre on the same building with the complainant.

The prosecution said while there, the convict spotted the complainant counting money being his daily sales and in the bid to rob him, the convict armed with knife attacked him in his office at the time he put off all the lights.

He told the court that Stephen pushed the complainant into the darkness and stabbed him with the knife on the chest, but he resisted the robbery attack on him and forcibly pushed the convict out of the office and raised the alarm for help.

Chief Superintendent of Police Tuaruka said the convict sensing danger quickly dropped the knife at the scene and escaped without taking anything from the victim. He said witnesses in the case heard the distress call and rushed him to Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, bleeding profusely from the injury.

He said on June 14, at about 1000 hours, the witnessed in the case spotted the accused person at the Kaneshie lorry station, arrested him and took him Kaneshie District Police Headquarters, where the report of the attack was made.

Chief Superintendent of Police Tuaruka told the court that on interrogation the convict admitted the crime and identified to the blood stained knife which was retrieved from the scene as the one he used to stab the victim.