A 21-year-old Okada Rider,
Emmanuel Waki has been sentenced to serve 15 years jail term after pleading
guilty to robbing a bystander of his mobile phone in front of the Police CID
Headquarters.
The incident which occurred
on December 19, last year, is said to have been witnessed by the Inspector
General of Police and his bodyguards who were then returning from routine
observational duties.
Emmanuel Waki, who is
affectionately called Pocket, was given a hot chase which led to the arrest of
Salifu Alhaji, also Okada rider, who then led the police to arrest Waki at Old
Fadama.
Waki pleaded guilty
simpliciter (without any explanation) on December 23 before the Circuit Court
and was convicted on his own plea while his sentence was deferred to today,
Wednesday, December 04, 2023.
In court on Wednesday, January
4, the court presided over by His Honour Mr. Samuel Bright Acquah said per
Section 296 the punishment for robbery is up to life in prison.
The convict who had pleaded
guilty to two counts of conspiracy and robbery was sentenced to 10 years for
conspiracy and 15 years for robbery. The sentence the court said should run
concurrently, meaning he would serve the highest of 15 years.
The first accused person
Salifu Alhaji, 24, also Okada Rider, denied the charge of conspiracy and has
been remanded.
Prosecution’s address
Addressing the court prior to
sentencing, Inspector Isaac Babayi, the Prosecutor said the second accused
pleaded guilty simpliciter when the charges and the consequences of his plea
were explained to him.
He said the plea of the
convict was voluntary and the court in sentencing him must take into
consideration the “intrusive seriousness” of the offense – robbery and
conspiracy.
He said the robbery is a
first-degree felony offense and more importantly the circumstances of which the
incident happened.
He told the court that per
the police records, robbery is on the increase, and the pre-meditation and
violent manner the crime was committed required a hefty punishment.
Inspector Babayi said the
crime on the innocent bystander took place in front of the CID Headquarters and
the accused, knowing about that, threw every caution to the wind and snatched
the mobile phone from the innocent bystander.
He prayed the court to hand
down a sentence that should deter others who habbour a similar intention to shy
away from such crimes.
Mitigation
Gregory Kwadwo Asiedu,
defence counsel while making a plea for mitigation said his client is a
first-time offender and a lighter punishment would serve the best interest of
justice.
Brief facts
Inspector Babayi told the
court that, on Monday, December 19, last year, at about 20:10 hours, the
Inspector General of Police (IGP) with his bodyguards on return from their
routine observational duties while on the main road in front of the Police CID
Headquarters spotted a motorbike rider riding interchange.
According to the Prosecutor,
the rider suddenly diverted from the approved lane that he was supposed to use
to the opposite lane facing oncoming vehicles.
He told the court that, upon
reaching the pedestrian pavement opposite the CID Headquarters, the suspicious
rider robbed the cellular phones of a pedestrian who was waiting for a vehicle
and sped off.
The Prosecutor said, the
victim attempted to chase the rider but failed to catch up on him. The
bodyguards of the IGP who witnessed the crime from a distance quickly pursued
the motorbike and in a few minutes, accosted the first accused, Salifu Alhaji.
He said, the first accused
who was using the Apsonic motorbike, red colour with registration number
M-20-GR6987 whose personality had semblance with the perpetrator they saw
committed the crime and handed him over for investigation.
He said, the first accused
during investigation denied the offence but mentioned the second accused as the
one who robbed the phone because he spotted him on his motorbike moving towards
the direction of the robbery scene with similar motorbike as his.
Confession
The prosecutor said, the
first accused on December 20, 2022, led police to the residence of the second
accused at Old Fadama and pointed him out leading to his arrest for
investigation.
During investigation, the
second accused admitted that he was the one who robbed the pedestrian of his
cellular phone on the pavement about 20:10 hours on December 19, 2022.
He confessed to having sold
the mobile phone to one Mohammad at a price of GHc300.00 and they were
arraigned whilst investigation continued to apprehend others connected to the
crime.
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