Four jailed 75 years for robbery

Four persons were on Wednesday sentenced by an Accra Circuit Court to a total jail term of 75 years on charges of conspiracy and robbery.

They are Roger Agbadi, a porter, Cosmos Odartey, a steel bender and James Kwesi Kuma, a houseboy were sentenced to 20 years each while George Owusu Bempah an electrician was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment.

Bempah had a 15-year jail term because he pleaded guilty when the case was put before the court. Agbadi, Odartey and Kuma pleaded not guilty and after going through full trial, they were found guilty by the court presided over by Mr Eric Kyei-Baffour.

The facts presented by Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) E.Y. Frimpong was that, on March 18, 2010 at about 1100 hours, Police at the Regional Police Headquarters were informed that a group of four young men suspected to be armed robbers were offering a Toyota Camry with registration number GT 844 X for sale at Abeka Lapaz.

DSP Frimpong said a team of detectives proceeded to the scene and arrested Agbadi, Odartey and Bempah and retrieved the vehicle.

During interrogation, the prosecution said they mentioned Kuma as the one who led them to a house at East Legon and they managed to steal the car belonging to Aku Linda Orleans, the mistress of Kuma.

DSP Frimpong said the Police proceeded to Odartey’s house and retrieved a locally manufactured pistol, a hammer, a spanner, a chisel, pliers, scissors and a kitchen knife.

The prosecution said at about 1400 hours on the same day, Ms Orleans lodged a complaint with the Police that a gang of four armed robbers entered her house at East Legon and stole her Toyota Camry, mobile phones, and laptops.

Not satisfied, the robbers tied her maid servant up and absconded with the items.

An identification parade was held and Ms Orleans and her maid identified the accused persons as those who came to the house to rob her mistress of the items.**