28-year-old armed robber, rapist sentenced to 23 years imprisonment

The Tema Circuit Court B has sentenced 28-year-old unemployed Louis Dordzi Dzidefo to 23 years prison term with hard labour, for robbing and raping a jobless lady.

The Court presided over by Ms. Bertha Aniagyei, sentenced Dzidefo after a full trial following his plea of not guilty to the charge of robbery when he first appeared in court.

Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Mrs. Stella Odame, prosecuting, said the complainant resided at Kakasunanka Number One, while the convict also known as D-claim resided at Gbetsele.

She said on July 13, 2021, at about 00:00 hours, the complainant engaged the service of Dzidefo who was then in charge of a Haojue motorbike with registration number M-21-GR 1955 to convey her from Kakasunaka Number One to Golf City.

The Prosecution stated that on reaching the complainant’s destination at Golf City, Dordzi requested that they exchanged phone numbers for the complainant to call him to pick her back to Kakasunaka Number One when she was done with her mission.

The facts stated that the complainant obliged, and at about 00:21 hours on the same day she called him to pick her back as agreed, adding that on their way, he branched into an unknown road with an excuse that he encountered Police officers on his way to pick her hence the need to swerve.

The court heard that upon reaching a section of the road near the Energy Commission, at Tema Community 25, Dzidefo veered into a nearby bush and parked at a refuse dump.

He pulled out a concealed penknife at the complainant and forcibly took her Samsung galaxy A3 smartphone valued at GH¢1,800.00, and her handbag containing a sum of GH¢200.00, room keys, handkerchief, and soap.

The prosecution said, the convict not satisfied with that, forcibly had vaginal and anal sex with the complainant at knifepoint at the refuse dump.

She said he bolted with the booty after his act, abandoning the victim in the bush.

The complainant later made a complaint to the Golf City Police, where she was issued with an extract of occurrence to Tema Community 25 Police for the necessary assistance and the issuance of a medical form to attend the hospital.

According to the prosecution, on July 16, 2021, Dzidefo cashed out an amount of Gh₵247.00 from the complaint’s mobile money account from an MTN MOMO agent and transferred some amount to his cellphone number 0242114906.

The facts indicated that on July 22, 2021, the Police prepared an ex-parte motion for a court order which was granted, and the same was served on MTN Ghana Limited, to furnish them with an itemized bill of the accused.

Investigations revealed that on August 25, 2021, between the hours of 10:02:59am to 12:06:58pm Dzidefo inserted his MTN number 0242114906 sim card into the complainant’s Samsung Galaxy A3 smartphone.

Police intelligence led to his arrest at his hideout at Kakasunanka Number One, cautioned and charged, and arraigned him after investigations.