It is provided in the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 Act 29 as follows:
149. Robbery: A person who commits robbery commits a first degree felony.
150. Definition of robbery: A person who steals a thing commits robbery
(a) if in, and for the purpose of stealing the thing, that person uses force or causes harm to any other person, or
(b) if that person uses a threat or criminal assault or harm to any other person, with intent to prevent or overcome the resistance of the other person to the stealing of the thing.
Amuzu and Eshun earlier denied the charges of conspiracy and robbery. When the matter was called, the accused persons, through their counsel, told the court they wanted to change their plea from not guilty to guilty.
The court, presided over by Mr Kwabena Kodua Obiri-Yeboah, retook their pleas.
The court convicted each of the accused persons on their own pleas and sentenced them accordingly.
On the charge of conspiracy, each was sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment.
On the charge of robbery, each received 15 years’ imprisonment. Both sentences are to run concurrently.
A third accomplice, Ibrahim Mohammed, will stand trial for charges of abetment of crime and dishonestly receiving.
Police say Mohammed bought a pistol for the two convicts to commit the crime and he received the complainant’s vehicle.
He has denied the offences.
Prosecution, led by Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Emmanuel Haligah, said the complainant (name withheld), was a bunker residing at East Legon Christian Centre.
The first accused person, Amuzu, claimed to be a steel bunder, was a resident of American House, East Legon, he said, while the second accused, Eshun, was a driver residing at Takoradi.
The third accused, Mohammed, aka King Dawa, was a businessman residing at Gururgu,Tamale.
Prosecution said in March 2024. Amuzu, while on remand in the police cell at Madina for another robbery offence, recruited Eshun, who was also in the cell for an offence of stealing.
The court heard that they planned to embark on a robbery expedition when they got out.
On August 19, 2024, Amuzu and Eshun, armed with a pistol, attacked the complainant at the entrance of her residence at East Legon Christian Centre.
Prosecution said Amuzu ordered the complainant at gunpoint to come down from her vehicle, a Mercedes Benz C180, with registration number AA 1991-21, valued at 60,000 Euros, equivalent to GHC1,045, 738.
The complainant obliged for fear of losing her life. Eshun, the prosecution said, quickly took over the steering wheel and they drove the car to an unknown destination. The complainant had her handbag containing a German passport, three iPhones, valued at GHC 44.629.43, a Ghana card, ATM cards, health insurance card, cash in the sum of $1500, GHC16,000 and unspecified amount of Jamaican dollars.
Prosecution said the same day, Eshun took the car to Tamale on the instructions of Amuzu to sell it to Mohammed, who also agreed to buy it. Mohammed made a cash transfer of GHC10,000 to Eshun’s mobile money wallet No. 0550571605 as part payment.
Mohammed then removed the registered number plate off the car to conceal its identity. On August 22, 2024, Eshun was arrested at Dansoman and a search conducted on him led to the retrieval of one gold coloured iPhone 14promax. Samsung Galaxy A15, air pods, cash in the sum of GHC18,000. $101 4000 Uganda shillings, 400 Rwanda franc, 550 Jamaican dollars and other personal effects of the complainant.
Eshun admitted the offence and mentioned Amuzu as his accomplice. Prosecution said on August 23, 2024, Amuzu was arrested at American House, East Legon, where an iPhone 13 pro belonging to the complainant’s friend, Mansour Inusah, a witness in the case, was retrieved.
Amuzu admitted the offence and mentioned Mohammed as his old friend in Tamale whom he instructed Eshun to send the car to.
On August 24, 2024, Mohammed was arrested in Tamale in possession of the complainant’s Mercedes Benz and a Toyota Fortuner 4X4 with registration Number GX 2735-19.
He told the police that he bought the Toyota Fortuner 4X4 also from Amuzu and his friend Kwame in February 2024.
Investigations later revealed that the owner of the Toyota Fortuner 4X4 was shot and robbed by Amuzu and his accomplice, Kwame, in another robbery case at Lakeside Estate.
During the investigations, Mohammed admitted that he gave Amuzu an amount of GHC7,000 to be used to procure a gun, which was used in the robbery, and four days later, he was offered the stolen Mercedes Benz at the cost of GHC300.000, out of which he made the part payment of GHC10,000.
Prosecution said on August 31, 2024, Eshun and Mohammed led the police to a location at Techiman where they had dumped the complainant’s personal effects.
The German passport, ATM Cards, Ghana Card and other documents belonging to the complainant were retrieved from the scene.
Efforts were being made to apprehend Kwame, who is said to be in possession of the weapon used in committing the crime.
GNA
