Kumasi, Jan. 17, GNA - Four persons were on Friday convicted to a sentence of 38 years imprisonment by a Kumasi Circuit Court for robbing and gang raping a young woman at Old Tafo in Kumasi. Kwadwo Appau, Tailor, Kwaku Asiama, Apprentice mason, Kwaku Dwumfour alias "Mark ten", apprentice sprayer were charged with conspiracy to commit crime, robbery and gang raping where as the forth convict, Ofori Atta was charged with abetment of crime. They all pleaded not guilty to the charge but were found culpable in the course of the trial.

Appau and Dwumfour received ten years imprisonment each whilst Asiama and Attah were also given 15 years and three years respectively. Prosecuting, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Albert Odei Quansah, told the court, presided over by Mr. Adjei Frimpong that, the victim and convicts are residents of Kumasi.

He said on August 9, last year, at about 12am the victim who is also the complainant was standing at the roadside at Suame roundabout in Kumasi looking for a vehicle to Bantama, her place of resident. She saw the four who were in a taxi cap with registration number AS 2296 Q, heading towards old Tafo in Kumasi. She stopped the car and asked to be taken to Bantama, but she was rather taken to Old Tafo behind the former Ash FM building where they robbed her of 40 Ghana cedis, her phone and on top of it all, gang-raped her. The victim shouted for help and she was rescued by watchdog committee members in the area but the convicts managed to escape leaving the cab, which had then developed a fault behind.

She was assisted by her rescuers to the old Tafo Police station where she made a complaint and the driver who had then been arrested by the watchdog members was handed over to them. The driver led the Police to arrest the others. After investigation, they were charged and arraigned. 17 Jan. 08