Four robbers sentenced to 260 years' imprisonment

Accra, Aug. 22, GNA - An Accra Fast Track Court on Tuesday sentenced four robbers to a total jail term of 260 years after pronouncing them guilty of conspiracy and robbery. The accused persons, Kweku Frimpong; Ernest Ababio; Daniel Amewu and Raymond Kwesi Wilson pleaded not guilty to the charges, but the court found them guilty and jailed each of them for 65 years with hard labour.

When the court asked what they had to say before judgment Frimpong, through his counsel prayed the court to deal with him leniently since a sentence would affect his children and beautiful wife. Ababio also pleaded with the court to deal with him leniently because his mother and brother had passed away because of this case. Amewu said: "My family members have neglected me."

Wilson, however, said he had nothing to say.

The presiding judge Mr Justice P. Baffoe Bonney said: "Armed robbers are a menace to the society and they should be gotten rid of for a very long time.

"This court sees robbery as a very serious issue. The perpetrators knowing that their victims are harmless come in whether they are asleep or awake to commit the crime.

"They come in with weapons to put fear into victims and sometimes kill them while they can put their strength into productive ventures." The Prosecution said in August 2003, the four accused persons raided a house at Parakuo Estate and made away with a BMW car, electrical gadgets, mobile phones, wrist watches, money and some valuables.

The Prosecution said the accused persons drove the car to Konongo on the Accra-Kumasi road where the engine developed a fault but Frimpong managed to drive it to his home town, Domiabra, near Juansa in the Ashanti Region, where he changed the number plate and fixed a fake one on it. The rest of the gang came to Accra to look for a mechanic to repair the car.

Upon a tip-off the accused persons were traced and arrested, but Frimpong denied involvement and said his brother had brought the car for him to sell and that the car was being tested on the highway. In another development the court jailed Prosper Ameshianu for 60 years for robbing Cox Tamakloe, a journalist with an Accra radio station, Joy FM, of his car and other valuables at gunpoint on the Accra - Tema Motorway in September 2003.

Nii Prince, Counsel for Ameshianu, prayed to the court to deal with him leniently since he was a breadwinner. He said the court should be very humane because the essence of their confinement was to reform them.