Two armed robbers jailed for 60 years

Fiapre, Feb. 9,GNA - A circuit court in Fiapre near Sunyani has sentenced two middle-aged armed robbers to 60 years imprisonment in hard labour for attempting to snatch a taxi at knife point at Bechem in the Brong Ahafo Region.

Opoku Francis, driver, and David Atuga, palmwine tapper, pleaded guilty to a charge of attempted robbery and were sentenced accordingly to 30 years imprisonment each.

Chief Inspector Kingsley Baafi told the court presided by Mr. Benjamin Osei, that the convicts at about 1630 hours on January 27,2012,contracted the cab driver to take them from Tepa to Bechem.

He said the complainant charged them GH 6 cedis but as they got near Bechem, Opoku, who was at the front seat, pulled out a knife and ordered the driver to get out of the vehicle or get stabbed to death.

The prosecutor said Atuga, who was at the back seat, also tried to strangle the driver.

The vehicle veered off from the road as a result and run into a ditch and the two convicts sensing danger bolted leaving the driver to his fate.

Chief Inspector Baafi said some farmers went to the aid of the driver and reported the matter to the Police at Bechem who went to the scene and assisted the driver to the hospital.

The Police later arrested the convicts in a bus and two locally manufactured pistols, four cartridges and a rope was found on them.

They admitted the offence at the Police station and the case was transferred to the Regional Police Headquarters in Sunyani for further investigations, he added.