Mason jailed 20years for car snatching

Kelvin Boateng aka Kofi Rasta was on Friday sentenced to 20 years imprisonment by an Accra Circuit Court for robbing a taxi driver of his Toyota Corolla at gun point at Tantra Hills in Accra.

Boateng, a mason, pleaded guilty to the charge of robbery.

The Court presided over by Mr Aboagye Tandoh convicted him on his plea saying the Court had taken into consideration the fact that Kelvin has admitted his guilt and did not waste the Court time.

However, the trial judge said he was handing a harsh sentence on Kelvin so that people who would think robbery was a good venture would not go into it.

According to the Court, the stolen vehicle had also been retrieved by the Police.

It further ordered the destruction of a pistol retrieved from the convict in the presence of the Investigator and the Court’s registrar.

Prosecuting Chief Superintendent of Police Mr Duuti Tuaruka said the complainant Mr Archimides Isaac is a driver who owns taxi cab with registration number GW 7192- 12 valued GH¢ 12,000 cedis.

He said Boateng now unemployed resides at Taifa, a suburb of Accra.

Prosecution said on January 3, this year at about 2300hrs Boateng stopped the complainant and asked him to take him to Tantra Hills.

On reaching a section near Rasta Park at Tantra Hills, Boateng ordered the complainant to stop and pulled out a pistol.

The prosecutor said Boateng ordered the complainant to surrender the car keys and this the complainant obliged whiles the convict pushed the complainant out of the vehicle and sped off.

A report was lodged at the Mile Seven Police Station and the vehicle was later seen at Taifa by the complainant’s relatives who alerted the Police and Ebenezer Bosomtwi the occupant of the vehicle, was picked up by the Police.

Prosecution said Bosomtwi told the Police that the vehicle was given to him by Boateng for spraying.

Relations of Gyan and Armah mobilised some people at Taifa and Boateng was nabbed and handed over to the Police at Mile Seven.