Eighteen year old robber jailed 40 years

An 18-year-old robber broke down and wept bitterly after a Kumasi Circuit Court, presided over by Mr Justice Emmanuel Amo-Yartey, ordered that he should be kept in jail for 40 years. The court�s verdict was pronounced after Kwadwo John had pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy and robbery. Two others standing trial with him, Baba Atia, 30, alias �Ackom� and Mahamadu Adongo, nicknamed �Coolio�, aged 23, denied the offence and were remanded in custody to re-appear on October 19. Police Chief Inspector Archibald Kwesi Fandoh told the Court that John and the other two accused persons hired a taxi-cab driven by Mr Kofi Dwomoh at about midnight on February 7, from Bantama to Adoato in Kumasi. After covering some distance, they ordered the driver to stop but he sensed danger and quickly removed the ignition key and hid it. Adongo, who was then sitting on the front passenger seat attempted to take over the steering wheel and a struggle ensued between him and Dwomoh. Atia, from the back seat, caught the driver in the face with a hefty blow, rendering him temporarily dazed. He, therefore, lost control over the steering wheel and crashed violently into a wall. The roaring sound of the crash attracted curious passers-by to the scene. John and Adongo managed to flee but Atia was arrested and handed over to the police. Police Chief Inspector Fandoh said Atia mentioned the two.