The Agona Swedru Circuit Court has jailed two armed robbers to a total of 50 years imprisonment in hard labour for robbing two taxi drivers in two separate incidents.
Isaac Otabil 22, aka Condemn, Sadick Ibrahim, and Gilbert Ofori 22, aka Israel, were said to have conspired to rob two taxi drivers of their taxi cabs.
The two pleaded guilty to charge of conspiracy to commit crime and robbery contrary to section 230 and 119 of the Criminal Offences Act (Act29) 1960.
READ: NDC flagbearer aspirant demands Akufo-Addo’s action in by-election violence
Isaac Otabil was convicted on the two counts to a prison term of 35 years each to run concurrently, while Gilbert Ofori was also sentenced on the two counts to 15 years each also to run concurrently.
The third accused Kingsley Anomako aka Palm wine, an electronic mechanic pleaded not guilty to charges and was remanded into prison custody to be reappear on 11th Februray, 2019.
Prosecuting, Police Inspector Eric Kofi Tease, told the court presided over by Ms Patricia Adjei, that the complainants are Mr Eric Afful, a taxi driver who lives at Agona Swedru and Mr Michael Baidu a resident of Gomoa Akropong NO 2 in the Gomoa Central District all in the Central region.
READ: By-elections: How shooting incident began
The prosecution said the two accused persons Otabil also lives at Agona Swedru, while Ofori lives at Akim Manso in the Eastern region.
Inspector Tease said on 13 December, 2018, at about 2030 hours the first complainant was in charge of a KIA Picanto taxi cab operating around Agona Swedru and its environs when the three accused hired his services to take them to Gomoa Dahom.
He said, on reaching section of the road between Gomoa Achiase and Gomoa Dahom, the accused persons attacked him with metal object and beat him mercilessly pulled him out of the taxi cab and took it away.
READ: Audio: Why I won’t report my attack to the police – Sam George
The Prosecution said the first complainant reported the robbery to the Agona Swedru Divisional Police Command.
He said on 19, December, 2018, upon intelligence the Police discovered that the first complainant’s cab has been dumped on a feeder road at Akim Asobua, near Akim Oda.
The prosecution told the court that the police and complainant went to Akim Asuboa to identified the car and during inspection noticed that one of the front tyres got busted.
According to the prosecution the car tape, battery and ignition keys have been removed, the car was then brought to the Agona Swedru Divisional Police Command and later released to the driver.
The Prosecution said, on 26 December, 2018 at about 1930 hours, the second complainant also a cabbie was hired by the same three accused persons from Agona Swedru to Agona Asafo.
He said on reaching a section of the road near Agona Asafo traditional cemetery the three attacked the taxi driver at knife point and stabbed him severally at the back and later pulled him out of the car.
The prosecution said the second complainant struggled with robbers and with the assistance of a good Samaritan overpowered them and got them arrested.