Four young men who conspired and robbed a casino at Abossey Okai in the Greater Accra Region have been sentenced to a total of 50 years’ imprisonment by an Accra Circuit Court.
The convicts — Daniel Okyere Amoah, unemployed; Akwasi Amoahene, bouncer; Isaac Afari, driver and Prince Ansong, a vulcanizer— on September 9, 2017, robbed the casino and made away with GH¢ 4,371.00.
According to the prosecution led by Superintendent of Police (SP) Kwaku Bempah, Daniel Okyere Amoah, a former employee of the casino, and Akwasi Amoahene, who at the time of the robbery was a bouncer at the casino, planned the robbery and roped the other two into their plan.
The court, at the beginning of the trial, heard that on the day of the robbery, the accused persons faked a fight between one Solomon and the bouncer while Isaac Afari, armed with a machete, threatened the staff of the casino.
The convicts were said to have been captured on the CCTV cameras of the company in the course of their robbery.
The convicts, who according to the prosecution shared their booty in a Roman Catholic Church at Mataheko, all pleaded not guilty to the charges of conspiracy to rob and robbery, leaving the burden on the prosecute to prove their guilt beyond reasonable doubts.
The court, presided over by His Honour Aboagye Tandoh, at the end of the trial found the four guilty of the charges levelled against them and convicted them on same.
According to the court, although the accused persons denied knowing one another, it is the opinion of the court that they knew one another, met and planned to execute the robbery.
The court also held that all the convicts admitted in their respective caution statements that they all got GH¢ 400 from the robbery.
Daniel Okeyere, however, returned his share of the booty while Isaac Afari also returned the remainder of his share.
In sentencing the four, Mr. Tandoh took into consideration the 17 months the convicts had already spent in custody and the role played by each of them in the planning and the actual execution of the robbery.
On the conspiracy charge, the court sentenced Daniel Okeyere Amoah and Isaac Afari to 15 years’ imprisonment each while Akwasi Amoahene and Prince Ansong got 10 years’ imprisonment.
Isaac Afari was further sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment for robbery while his counterpart, Prince Ansong, got 10 years’ imprisonment for the same charge.
Both sentences are to run concurrently.
The court, however, acquitted and discharged Daniel Okyere Amoah of the charge of abetment of robbery, as the prosecution could not lead any evidence to prove his guilt on the count.
BY Gibril Abdul Razak