Three jailed 50 years each for robbery

Accra, Feb. 1, GNA - Three persons who robbed six separate household= s at Aduman, near Pokuase in the Greater Accra Region, and made away with foreign and local currencies were on Tuesday sentenced to 50 years' imprisonment each by a Circuit Court in Accra. The three, Mawutor Gator, aka Sugar, 34, Isaac Abeo, aka Aryah, 45, an= d Moses Yaw Nsowah, 24, further raped one of their victims during their operation.

They pleaded not guilty to conspiracy and six counts of robbery. The court, presided over by Mr Eric Kyei-Baffour, after the 11-month trial, found them guilty and convicted them. Mr John Tulasi Ofori, a State Attorney, told the court that the complainants in the case were Mr Ken Owusu Ampadu, a pastor, Mr Alex Bediako, a spare parts dealer, Dr Vinolia Tonugble, a retired medical practitioner and her family, Mr Timothy Adjei, a security guard, and other residents of Aduman-Pokuase.

Mr Ofori said on October 13, 2009, at about 12:45 am, the complainants were asleep in their respective homes when Gator, a stone cracker, Abeo, a water pumping machine operator, Nsowah, a mason and seven others now at large, armed themselves with pump action guns, knives and clubs and attacke= d and robbed the various residences.

He said they robbed the residencies of local currency totalling GH¢6,200, 8,700 dollars, assorted jewellery, 17 mobile phones, assorted h= ome gadgets and laptops among other things. In the process Gator pulled one of the victims into the kitchen and raped her. They also locked Dr Tonugble and her security guard in a room after which they ransacked their house. Mr Ofori said the convicts and their accomplices robbed the various households in turns and in the process inflicted cutlass wounds on two victims. When the Police got to the scene the convicts and their accomplices ha= d fled with their booty. Mr Ofori said the Police therefore pursued them and succeeded in arresting Gator, Abeo and Nsowah. The State Attorney said the Police retrieved some of the items. Later, Mr Ofori said, an identification parade was conducted by Police and most of the victims identified the three convicts. He added that the victim who was raped during their operations identified Gator as the culprit.