Three Students Found Guilty Of Robbery

Accra, - 9 June Three students of two senior secondary schools who robbed a supermarket at Osu of 1,094 million cedis of goods at gun point in September last year, were today found guilty by a High Court in Accra. A seven-member jury unanimously returned a guilty verdict on the accused persons. They are Joseph Aidoo, 16, Maxim Antwi Danso, 16, both of the Presbyterian Secondary School, Legon, and Godfried Osafo Manu, 17, of Agona Swedru Secondary School. Aidoo and Danso were charged with conspiracy and robbery while Manu was charged with abetment of crime. They all pleaded not guilty but when the jury pronounced its verdict, they showed remorse when each of them expressed regret for the crime committed. The court presided over by Mr Justice Richard K. Apaloo, ordered that the matter be referred to the Chief Probation Officer at the Department of Social Welfare for him to submit his report on the accused on or before June 16 because the accused are juveniles. The court ordered that the pistol be confiscated to the state while the goods retrieved from the accused be returned to the shop owner.

The court in its summary said evidence adduced by the prosecution showed that the accused committed the offence and adjourned to June 18 for sentence. The case for the prosecution was that on September 22, last year, the three accused went to the Knightsbridge Supermarket and while doing random selection of goods made up of shoes, dresses and suits, Aidoo pulled out a pistol and aimed at Mr Paul Addo, proprietor of the shop while Danso tied Mr Addo's hands at his back. Aidoo, the prosecution said, pressed the trigger but the weapon failed to fire. A scuffle ensued between the accused and Mr Addo during which the pistol went off shattering the electric bulbs in the shop. Mr Addo raised the alarm and people around went to his rescue and overpowered Aidoo but the two others escaped. They were later arrested by the Police. The prosecution said the accused escaped from school without permission and met at Manu's house where they planned the crime.