AN ACCRA High Court has sentenced two armed robbers to a total of 25 years imprisonment for pouncing on their victims at Mempeasem and James Town, suburbs of Accra at gunpoint and robbing them of various items.
The two, Salifu Issaka and Nii Ahele Copson who stood trial separately but on similar charges of conspiracy to rob and robbery were handed 15 and 10 years on each count respectively by the court presided over by Justice Charles Quist. However, the sentences are to run concurrently.
Salifu Issaka who is to serve the 15 years imprisonment and Emmanuel Abana, a deceased, were hauled before the court for attacking the complainant and his family at Mempeasem, near Legon in 2003.
The convict and three others, including the deceased, after inflicting deep cutlass wounds on the complainant and his wife, robbed items such as Sanyo TV set, Toshiba video deck, two Nokia mobile phones, Fuda carpet cleaner, sound system, two suit cases containing personal effects and one travelling bag.
His accomplice, Emmanuel, died before the trial began but the judge stated that since Salifu acted with him to commit the robbery, the charge of conspiracy was properly laid.
Although the convict had pleaded not guilty to the charges, the court found him guilty after observing that he gave conflicting evidence when he opened his defence.
The court observed that the evidence Salifu gave on oath was false because it was in contradiction to a confession statement he gave to the police.
The Principal State Attorney, Asiamah Sampong, narrated that on April 27, 2003 at about 3:30am the two and their accomplices, Sammy and Ikechiku, on the run, forcibly entered the complainant?s house wielding guns and knives.
They inflicted knife wounds on the complainant and assaulted his wife. In the midst of terror and desperation, the complainant gave them GH?40 but they were not satisfied so they took the entire family hostage in the complainant?s bedroom.
As they were leaving, the victims raised the alarm which attracted neighbours to the scene.
An unidentified neighbour reportedly shot Salifu in both legs but he managed to run into a nearby bush where he was arrested by the police patrol team.
A search conducted on him revealed one locally made pistol and four small cartridges.
Emmanuel managed to run away but died later.
Nii Ahele Copson, Mason, the second convict, was also sentenced to 10 years after the court found him guilty of robbing a Judicial Service worker at James Town of her mobile phone. The court also bonded him to be of good behaviour for five years.
Winifred Sarpong, a state attorney, informed the court that the complainant is Regina Anaman a clerk of the Judicial Service of Ghana.
She narrated that on March 2010 at about 7:30pm, the complainant was on her way home in her car. When she got to a place near Ghana Fire Service Training School, Copson and his accomplice, at large, approached her in the traffic, pulled a cutlass and asked her to hand over her phone.
After she obliged, they again asked her to hand over her handbag.
Regina, acting smartly, sped off but accidentally hit an oncoming vehicle.
When the bus driver alighted and confronted the complainant, she narrated her story to him. The prosecutor stated that the driver, his mate and the police patrol team, gave them a hot chase and succeeded in arresting Copson with a cutlass.
Source-Daily Guide
