Court remands 22-year old for robbery

An Accra circuit court on Tuesday remanded Seidu Mohammed, unemployed, in police custody for robbery and causing unlawful damage.

The accused person pleaded not guilty and would re-appear on September 2.

Counsel for the accused person told the court that his client is 14 years but Deputy Superintendent of Police(DSP) Ernest Acheampong said the accused told the police he was 22 years.

The court, presided over by Ali Baba, therefore, ordered the accused to produce his birth certificate.

However, the court observed that the birth certificate the accused presented was procured after the order was made.

Due to the decision of the court, the counsel insisted his client was under-aged and has filed an appeal at the High Court.

DSP Acheampong said the complainant in the case is a driver at Awoshie, while the accused person is unemployed.

He said the accused person claimed to have been sleeping in parked vehicles at the Kaneshie Station.

The prosecution said for sometime now, passengers on board the vehicle and pedestrians suffered in the hands of criminals, who forcibly collected phones and valuable items from them at the station.

He said the criminals acted swiftly that they vanish into thin air after committing the crime.

They also possess knives and harmful objects to the extent that they harm victims who tried to recover their items, he said.

He said on July 8, the complainant was on board a vehicle about to load from the station and when he was about receiving a call, accused person hit his hand with his fist and forcibly collected his phone, through the window.

DSP Acheampong said as the accused person tried to escape, the complainant raised an alarm and he was given a hot chase by some people around and on sensing danger, he smashed the phone on the ground causing damage to it, but he was arrested.

He said the accused person was brought to the Kaneshie Police Station where he admitted the offence.