The Asamankese Circuit Court, presided over by Justice Abass Abubakari Adams, has sentenced a 32-year-old mason, William Agyekum alias Ninja, to 18 years imprisonment in hard labour for robbery.
Mr Agyekum pleaded not guilty to the offence, and the court had to go into the full trial of the case which found him guilty and consequently convicted him.
The facts of the case as presented by the prosecutor, Inspector Samuel Appietu Appiah, were that on November 21, 2020, Agyekum robbed Mr Eric Ogyigya aka Domotey of GH¢500.00 cash and a Tecno T 484 mobile phone valued at GH¢130.00 at Akyem Asuom in the Eastern Region.
Around 8p.m. on November 21, 2020, Ogyigya went to eat in his brother’s house after which he decided to rest under a shed at the Asuom Presbyterian Primary School.
All of a sudden, Agyekum with the convicts Karikari Appau, an auto electrician, and Yaw Peprah, an okada rider, pounced on him and ordered him to bring out all the money on him but the complainant refused.
Yaw Peprah dipped his hand into the pocket of the complainant and forcibly removed GH¢500.00 cash and a Tecno T484 mobile phone and took to his heels whilst the convict, Karikari Appau, had already grabbed the complainant.
Agyekum hit the complainant’s head with a stone so as to weaken him whilst Karikari Appau was still holding onto him firmly.
In the course of the ordeal, the complainant identified and mentioned the name of convict Karikari Appau and questioned him as to why he was doing that to him.
When convict Karikari Appau realised that the complainant had identified him, he removed a sharp knife concealed on his body to stab him in his abdomen but he hit his hand.
Convict Karikari Appau, however, stabbed Ogyigya in his left ear. The complainant raised an alarm that attracted witnesses in the case to rescue him, compelling the three attackers to escape.
Karikari and Peprah convicted
On November 22, 2020, the police arrested convicts Karikari Appau and Yaw Peprah, put them before court and they were convicted after they had pleaded guilty to armed robbery.
At about 5:30 p.m on November 29, 2020, the police gathered intelligence report that Agyekum was hiding in a house in Asuom so they stormed the place, arrested and handcuffed him and put him in the bucket of the police patrol vehicle.
In is caution statement, Agyekum admitted being part of the robbery gang and further stated that he hit the complainant’s head with a stone.