The Accra Circuit Court yesterday sentenced two armed robbers to 50 years’ imprisonment for robbing at gunpoint and severely beating an ex-military officer and his four daughters at Teshie in Accra.
The convicts — Baba Anaba, Evans Ogbey and two accomplices — had, two years ago, gone to the ex-military officer’s house with a locally made pistol and machetes to rob their victims.
They succeeded in bolting with a laptop and four mobile phones.
They were charged with conspiracy and robbery, but they pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The court, presided over by Mr Aboagye Tandoh, imposed 25 years’ imprisonment each on the two counts for each person.
The sentences are to run concurrently.
Meanwhile, their accomplices, Samuel Bortey and Alex Ametepey Tetteh had already been jailed 23 years on similar charges.
Passing sentence, Mr Tandoh said armed robbery was on the increase in society today and so there was the need to send strong signals to the criminals that “society will not tolerate such robbery”.
Background
Prosecuting, Chief Inspector Kofi Adu told the court that the complainant resided at Agblezaa, while the accused persons lived at Teshie.
He said the convicts went to the complainant’s house about 2 a.m. with a locally made pistol and machetes and forcibly broke into it.
On entering the house, Chief Inspector Adu said, the convicts subjected the ex-military officer and his four daughters to severe beatings.
He said two months later Tetteh and Bortey were busted and in their caution statement they admitted the offence and mentioned Anaba and Ogbey as their accomplices.
The prosecutor told the court that Tetteh and Bortey, after going through a full trial, were found guilty of the offence and sentenced to 23 years’ imprisonment each.
He added that a month later, Anaba, who was in the custody of the police in Tema for his involvement in another robbery, confessed to being part of the robbery of the ex-military officer.
He mentioned Ogbey as an accomplice and on July 24, 2015, Ogbey was picked up at the Teshie Cold Store area.
