Two jailed 65 years for robbery

An Accra Circuit Court on Monday sentenced two persons, Raafew Abdul Mohammed and Odartey Willington, to 65 years imprisonment for conspiracy to commit crime and robbery.

Raafew is to serve 20 years for conspiracy and 25 years for robbery and Odartey is to serve 30 years for conspiracy and 40 years for robbery both to run concurrently.

The convicts robbed one Felix Ansah Okohene of his black bag worth Ghc10.00, assorted credit cards worth Ghc36.00 and Ghc94.00.

Presiding judge, Mr. Francis Obiri, handing down the sentence said although both convicts pleaded for leniency, he took into consideration the fact that robbery was on the increase, had become a nationwide problem and well meaning Ghanaians must live free from people like the convicts.

He said the state took a serious view of robbery hence prescribed a minimum sentence for it, leaving the maximum sentence to be determined by degree of the robbery and added that he was of the view that the convicts deserved a harsher sentence.

Mr. Obiri said the court had been made aware that Odartey is an ex-convict who was sentenced for stealing in 1997 and that he deserved an enhanced sentence since he had graduated from stealing to robbery with no intention of changing his ways.

Prosecuting Police Chief Inspector E. Afful told the court that the complainant is a trader at Teshie Opkoi-Gonnor, Raafew is a trader and Odartey is a motor rider both residing at Kwame Nkrumah Circle.

He said on May 28, at about 1330 hours while the complainant was busy selling in his shop, the convicts who were on an unregistered motorbike parked some few metres away from the shop.

He told the court that Rafeew got down as if he wanted to buy something from the shop but attacked the complainant and snatched a black bag containing Ghc94.00 and assorted credit cards worth Ghc36.00 and jumped on the motorbike and attempted to escape.

The prosecution said the complainant raised an alarm and the convicts who were not lucky enough were crossed by a passer-by, and they fell off the motorbike together with the items and were arrested.

Police Chief Inspector Afful said the two admitted the offence in their cautioned statement.