Justice Aboagye Tandoh, a High Court Judge sitting with additional responsibility as a Circuit Court judge has sentenced seven armed robbers to a total jail term of 175 years after finding them guilty of the offence.
The convicts, Nene Kwadwo Tetteh, aka Chairman Obed, Welbeck Oppong, Nana Kwabena Ackah, Isaac Agyemang aka Batman, Kweku Boaning, Frederick Kwasi Boateng aka Boat and Kofi Debrah robbed a Supreme Court Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Torkonu, who was then a Court of Appeal Judge and Mr Anthony Kodua Bediako, a Banker on December 8, 2016, the GNA reports.
They were charged with conspiracy to commit a crime to wit robbery, three counts of robbery and having possession of stolen property.
One of the convicts Delali Alomatu, who reportedly pleaded guilty even before the trial began in 2016, was serving 24 years jail term.
According to the GNA, Inspector Samuel Ahiabor narrated that the complainants in the case were Supreme Court Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Torkonor, who was then a Court of Appeal Judge and Mr Anthony Kodua Bediako, a Banker.
Inspector Ahiabor said the accused persons were self-styled businessmen.
The prosecution said on December 8, 2016, at about 8:30 pm, the first complainant, Justice Torkonu was on board her official vehicle, a Toyota Fortuna vehicle with registration Number GM 6852-13 and was returning from a night church service.
Upon reaching her residence at the Baatsonaa-Spintex area, she was attacked by a gang of armed robbers numbering more than six who attacked and robbed her of her vehicle, one Apple Macbook laptop valued at GHS 1,300.00 and one iPhone valued at GHS 600.00, cash of GHS 900.00, US 50.00 and her three Bibles and bolted.
The robbers not satisfied, further drove Justice Torkonu’s vehicle to the house of Mr Bediako (2nd complainant’s ) at Anyaa, where they further attacked him at gunpoint and robbed him of his Hyundai Santafe Sport Wagon vehicle Number GR 714-16, cash of GHS 350.00 and Huawei mobile phone and bolted.
The prosecution said on July 16, 2017, Tetteh and Ackah who were in the company of his criminal syndicate namely; Kofi Newton, Nana Osei, Robert Tackie, all at large and removed the original number plates of the two vehicles to wit; Toyota Fortuna vehicle from GM 6852-13 to GR 2431-16 and Hyundai Santafe from GR 714-16 to GW 8622-16, attempted to sell both vehicles.
The prosecution said the would-be buyer alerted police because they had previously defrauded him of cash in the sum of GHS 25,000.00 under the pretext of selling another vehicle to him but bolted with the vehicle after collecting his money.
The Prosecutor said the police managed to arrest three of Tetteh’s accomplices namely; Robert Tackie, Kofi Newton of the premises of Tesano Ecobank, but Tetteh managed to escape.
The prosecution said July 14, 2017, intelligence led to the arrest of Tetteh as the leader of the robbery incident. Tetteh however escaped from custody. He was however picked up this year (2020) by the Police
Further Investigations into the case disclosed that Tetteh and Ackah together with his accomplices now at large, sponsored criminals by providing them with weapons and ammunitions to embark on robbery expeditions within Accra and Tema Municipalities.
The prosecution said when the accused persons were successful, they brought all the booty namely vehicle, TV Sets, and various sums of money to Tetteh to share.
Thereafter, Tetteh and Ackah also re-spray the vehicles and sell them.
On November 28, 2017, Prosecution said intelligence received at the Regional Police Command Accra to the effect that the accomplices of Tetteh and Ackah are hiding at Kade in the Eastern Region.
According to prosecution, a team of detectives was dispatched to Kade where they managed to arrest Alormatu and Kweku Boaning.
During interrogation, they admitted the offence and mentioned Agyemang who had also been arrested in a similar robbery case by the Sakumono Police as their accomplice who led them to the house of the Supreme Court Judge and thereafter handed over the Toyota Fortuna vehicle to Tetteh as he sponsored their robbery activities and Tetteh further gave them cash, the sum of GHS 4,000.00 as part payment. They further mentioned Yaw Sofeh and Kwamena Oppong now at large as their accomplices.
The prosecution said on February 7, 2018 intelligence led to the arrest of Welbeck Oppong at Apedwa in the Eastern Region.
The prosecution said Fredrick Kwasi Boateng, a.k.a. Boat, was also picked up by the Police at Akwatia in the Eastern Region. Kofi Debrah was also nabbed at Kasoa as those being part of the robbery syndicates.
After investigation, the accused persons were charged with the offences.
