Crime & Punishment of Wednesday, 17 February 2016

Source: GNA

Unemployed gets 25 years for robbery

An Accra Circuit Court on Wednesday sentenced Philip Kweku Edoe, unemployed, to 25 years imprisonment for causing harm and robbing Madam Comfort Fosua, a trader, of an amount of GH¢1,250.

Philip pleaded guilty to both charges and was sentenced to serve 5 years for causing harm and 25 years for robbery both to run concurrently.

The Court, presided over by Mr Aboagye Tandoh in sentencing, said he took into consideration the convict’s plea of guilty and the need to give him a deterrent sentence especially for the harm inflicted on the victim in the course of committing the offense.

He said the Court also considered the number of weeks the convict had already spent in custody.

The Court also ordered that the items retrieved from the convict be given back to the complainant.

Earlier the prosecutor, Chief Superintendent of Police, Duuti Tuaruka told the Court that the complainant is a boutique attendant who lives at Taifa while Philip is unemployed and resides at Kaneshie.

He said on January 27, about 1000 hours, the complainant was at her shop when the convict went into the shop and pretended to buy some dresses, and after selecting what he needed, the complainant gave him the charge of GH¢1,250.00

He said Philip told the complainant that she had inflated the price of the dresses and in the course of rechecking, the convict attacked and stabbed the complainant on the forehead with a sharp object.

Chief Superintendent Tuaruka said the complainant became dizzy and fell while the convict came out of the shop with his booty and stopped a taxi, in an attempt to flee.

He said the complainant, however, regained consciousness, came out of the shop and raised an alarm and Philip was arrested by a mob and handed over to the police for investigation.