PHOTO: 3 Robbers Jailed 90 Years

A KUMASI Circuit court presided over by Emmanuel Amo Yartey has sentenced three robbers who robbed Stanley Ebere Ugonna, a Nigerian, to 30 years� imprisonment each in hard labour. The three, Samuel Akawansi alias Prince Guy Jesus, trader, Yaw Sarkodie, mechanic apprentice and Kwadwo Benjini, alias Jacob, Fan Milk seller, were convicted after the court found them guilty. Before their incarceration to spend the next 30 years each in prison, the convicts resided at Race Course, Ash-Town and Adum, all suburbs of Kumasi, the Ashanti regional capital. They were charged with conspiracy to commit crime robbery and robbery, contrary to sections 23(1) and 149 of the criminal offences Act 29/60. They all pleaded not guilty to the charges. Presenting the facts of the case to the court, the prosecutor, state attorney Marie-Louise Simmons, described the complainant as a businessman residing in the Kumasi metropolis. On August 19, 2011, at about 4:30am, the complainant, who was returning from Accra, was attacked and robbed by the convicts at Mbrom near Kejetia. According to the prosecutor, the convicts dispossessed the complainant of his travelling bag which contained CFA 20,000, 200 Naira, two mobile phones valued at GH�200.00, GH�35.00, an international passport, mobile phone chargers and other personal effects. As he was standing by the roadside, waiting for a vehicle to take him home, Samuel Akwansi and Yaw Sarkodie approached him. Sensing their wicked intentions, the complainant walked away from them but Akwansi tried to snatch the complainant�s travelling bag from him but was unsuccessful. Sarkodie also tried to take the bag but he failed. Prosecution narrated that Kwadwo Benjini came out of nowhere and attempted to stab the complainant with a knife. The complainant fell down as he tried to escape and was stabbed in his toe by Benjini. Realising his life was in danger, the complainant gave the bag to them and they bolted with it. He lodged a complaint with the police where he was issued with a medical form to seek medical attention. The complainant saw the direction in which the thugs ran and escorted the police to their hideout at Race Course where Akwansi was arrested. Prosecution disclosed that Akwansi named the other two convicts during investigation and led the police to arrest them. In another development, the court has remanded one Ernest Kofi Sarpong, 27, into police custody for allegedly stealing a ram valued at GH�350.00 from a pen belonging to a certain Abdul Nassait. Narrating the facts to the court, Police Chief Inspector Comfort Kyei Baffour said on November 1, 2011, at about 6:00am, the suspect secretly entered the pen at Akwatia line in Kumasi and stole the animal. He pleaded not guilty to a charge of stealing. He is to re-appear on November 15, 2011. According to prosecution, the suspect took the ram to Kejetia with the alleged intent of selling it but he was arrested by a witness. He was escorted to the Zongo Police with the said animal.