Anglican priest robber to stand trial

Cape Coast, Feb. 16, GNA - Kweku Quaye alias Togbe, who allegedly led a gang of armed robbers to steal an amount of 18 million cedis at the residence of the Anglican priest at Eyifua a suburb of Cape Coast three years ago, was on Tuesday committed by a magistrates court to stand trial at a Cape Coast high court on Tuesday, March 1.

Quaye, who was arrested together with six others now discharged, pleaded not guilty and had since been on remand until the Attorney General's office in Cape Coast issued a bill of indictment against him. During his committal, Mr Beresford Acquah a circuit court judge, sitting as an additional magistrate court judge said the prosecution had established a prima-face case against the accused and therefore committed him to stand trial at the high court.

Giving a summary of the case, the prosecutor, chief inspector Augustine Amonoo, told the court that on February 8 2002 at about 0200 hrs, the accused allegedly led a gang of armed robbers who amidst the firing of warning shots broke into the residence of Reverend Robert Dawson-Amoah with one of them shouting, "corporal action".

He said the robbers who were all dressed in a black 'T' shirt and camouflage shorts and wearing masks with the exception of Quaye, who was unmask, ransacked the rooms of the priest and when Quaye turned on the priest one of them shouted "Togbe don't kill him!".

Chief inspector Amonoo said, Quaye allegedly shot the priest in the thigh and they bolted with the money and personal belongings. He further said during a police swoop on the morning of February 8, Quaye was arrested together with six others but the then community tribunal, on the advice of the attorney general's office released them for want of prosecution on October 22, 2002.

The six others are Peter Eshun, Kwasi Abram, Mohammed Abukari, Michael Quarshie, Anthony Mensah and James Debrah Mensah. Counsel for Quaye, Mr Harry Hayford expressed concern about the persistent denial of his client about the case had gone unheeded by the prosecution and hoped justice would take its due course to prove his innocence.