Circuit court sentences robber to 15 years

A circuit court at Fiapre near Sunyani on Monday sentenced Yaw Asamoah, a 30-year-old driver, to 15 years imprisonment in hard labour for robbing passengers traveling on the Atebubu/Yeji main road.

Asamoah pleaded guilty to two counts of attempting to commit crime and robbery.

Chief Superintendent of Police Frederic Adjei told the court that on April 02, Asamoah hatched a plan with accomplices now at large to rob passengers traveling on the Atebubu/Yeji road.

They armed themselves with locally manufactured guns and BB cartridges, mounted a road block with pieces of wood and robbed one Yaw Wunta, a driver of GH¢65 and his Nokia mobile phone as well as Kwabena Hagan, also a driver, of GH¢94 and his mobile phone.

Chief Superintendent Adjei said in the course of their operation, a man on a bicycle who bumped into them but turned back. The robbers gave him a chase but they could not get him so the robbers halted the operation and fled into the bush.

The prosecutor said the rider, on reaching Atebubu, alerted residents about the incident but when some of them went to the scene they could not find the robbers.

Asamoah was later spotted on board a vehicle and was arrested, when searched two locally manufactured guns and some cartridges were found in a sack he was holding.

Chief Superintendent Adjei said he was handed over to the police at Atebubu where one of the victims identified him as among the group who robbed him.

He said Asamoah admitted the offence and the police are making efforts to arrest his accomplices.**