Kwame Asare, 23, standing trial for robbing one Stella Amaning of her Nokia mobile phone and other valuables at GREDA Estates, Teshie, a suburb of Accra, was yesterday sentenced to 30 years imprisonment in hard labour by an Accra Circuit Court.
He was facing charges of stealing a Nokia mobile phone valued at GH¢100.00, a ladies’ hand bag valued at GH¢20.00, two yards of cloth valued at GH¢20.00 and an amount of GH¢39.00.
Asare, while pleading guilty to the offence and asking for leniency last week, told the court, presided over by Francis Obiri that it was the devil that led him to steal from Stella, who was attending an all night service during the time of the robbery.
‘It’s the work of the devil…the devil entered me,’ he said, when the trial judge jokingly asked him why he stole the items from the lady who was obviously going to church to cast and bind the very devil he (Asare) was blaming for the act.
Prosecuting, Chief Supt Duuti Tuaruka told the court that the complainant is a trader at Teshie Tsuibleoo whilst the accused person is also a tattoo designer at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle.
He said on March 14, 2014, at about 10:00 pm, Stella was going to church at the GREDA Estates, but on reaching Teshie Fertilizer, she was all of a sudden attacked by Asare, who ordered her to surrender all her belongings.
According to Chief Supt Tuaruka, the complainant, who by then was helpless, made efforts to run away from the accused person and began to cry for help, but Asare overpowered her and snatched her ladies’ bag, which was valued at GH¢20.00, a Nokia mobile phone valued at GH¢100, two yards of cloth worth GH¢20 and GH¢39.00 and ran into thin air.
He stated that the accused person, who was not lucky enough, was arrested by passers-by and the items retrieved, adding that Asare was later handed over to the police for further investigations.
Chief Supt Tuaruka said investigations further revealed that Asare normally hid himself at that particular spot, especially during blackout to terrorize the people around.
The trial judge, who had deferred sentencing of Asare to yesterday to enable the police conduct a search into the background of the accused person, slapped him with the sentence.
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By Jeffrey De-Graft Johnson
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