GENERAL NEWS

Seven get 20 years each for robbery

An Accra Circuit Court on Monday handed a 20-year jail term each to seven persons for conspiring and robbing one Ebenezer Kofi Odei Bediako, a teacher and his family.

They robbed the teacher at gunpoint at Atraco, near East Legon in Accra.

The convicts are: Michael MacCarthy, driver’s mate; Richmond Kwadwo Sarpong, driver’s mate; Bright Akaminku, trader; Abass Baba, trader; Ibrahim Alhassan, auto mechanic; and Abugri Osuman, unemployed.

They all pleaded not guilty to the charges, but the Court presided over by Mr Francis Obiri found them guilty after going through full trial and were sentenced accordingly.

They are to serve 15 years each for conspiracy and 20 years each for robbery both to run concurrently.

Three other accomplices, Joe Ofori, a trader; Yunus Abdul Hamid Mubarak, a fashion designer; and Ahmed Aminu, a driver’s mate were however acquitted and discharged by the Court.

Prosecuting Police Inspector Martin Acheampong told the Court that the complainant, Ebenezer Kofi Odei Bediako, is a teacher and resident of Atraco, while the convicts are friends who live in Tema and Ashaiman.

He said for some time now, the convicts have been attacking people at Atraco, Zoomlion, Adentan, Madina and their environs, robbing them of their valuables.

He said on January 5, at about 0200 hours, the complainant and his family were asleep when the convicts broke into their room, attacked them and subjected them to severe beatings.

They later robbed them of three mobile phones, jewelleries and GH¢ 27,000.00. The complainant later reported the case to the police.

Inspector Acheampong said the police managed to track the user of one of the stolen mobile phones and arrested Yunus.

He said when questioned, he mentioned his friend, Ahmed, as the one who sold the mobile phone to him at GH¢570.00 and in turn, he assisted the police to arrest Mubarak, who identified MacCarthy and Sarpong as those who sold the mobile phone and another Tablet to them at GH¢700.00.

The prosecution said upon interrogation, MacCarthy confessed to the robbery and mentioned Sarpong, Akaminku, Abubakar, Baba, Ibrahim, Osuman and Ofori as his accomplices.

Inspector Acheampong told the Court that a search was later conducted on them, and 17 cartridges, a face mask and a pump action gun were retrieved from them.

GNA

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