A circuit court in Ghana has sentenced a 21-year-old commercial motorcyclist to 15 years in jail for robbery and conspiracy.
The convict, Emmanuel Waki alias Pocket, pleaded guilty to robbing a bystander of his mobile phone in front of the Police CID Headquarters.
The incident reportedly happened on December 19, 2022, and it was witnessed by the Inspector General of Police who was returning from routine observational duties.
The prosecutor, Inspector Babayi told the court that at about 8:10pm on that fateful day, the Inspector General of Police (IGP) with his security men on return from their routine observational duties while in front of the Police CID Headquarters spotted a motorcycle rider riding against traffic.
He said the rider upon reaching the pedestrian pavement opposite the Headquarters, robbed the cellular phone of a pedestrian who was waiting for a vehicle and sped off.
The Prosecutor said the victim attempted to chase the rider but failed to catch up on him. The orderlies of the IGP who witnessed the crime from a distance quickly pursued the motorbike and in a few minutes, accosted the first accused, Salifu Alhaji.
He said, the first accused who was using the Apsonic motorbike, red colour with registration number M-20-GR6987 whose personality had semblance with the perpetrator they saw committed the crime and handed him over for investigation.
Babayi added that the first accused during investigation denied the offence but mentioned the second accused as the one who robbed the phone because he spotted him on his motorbike moving towards the direction of the robbery scene with similar motorbike as his.
The prosecutor said the first accused on December 20, 2022, led police to the residence of the second accused at Old Fadama and pointed him out leading to his arrest for investigation.
During investigation, the second accused admitted that he was the one who robbed the pedestrian of his cellular phone on the pavement about 20:10 hours on December 19, 2022.
He confessed to having sold the mobile phone to one Mohammad at a price of GHc300.00 and they were arraigned whilst investigation continued to apprehend others connected to the crime.
In his ruling, Justice Samuel Bright Acquah on Wednesday, January 4, 2023, said per section 296, the punishment for robbery is up to life in prison.
After pleading guilty to two counts of conspiracy and robbery, the defendant was sentenced to 10 years for conspiracy and 15 years for robbery. The court said the sentence should run concurrently.
