An accused person, who is standing trial for robbery, on Monday threw the Accra Circuit Court into laughter when he told the court that he was not Jesus.
“I am not called Jesus. I don’t know why the police decided to give me that name,” Hamza Sumaila told the court, presided over by Mr Francis Obiri, while cross-examining a prosecution witness.
Speaking with a frowned face, Sumaila who ironically is a Muslim said the name “Jesus” was a police fabrication and had nothing to do with him.
The facts of the case, according to Prosecutor Dufie Prempeh, a State Attorney, were that the complainant in the case was Joe Debrah, a self-employed and resident of Dansoman, while the accused is also a self-employed and a Malian.
On February 16, last year, at about 11 pm, the complainant was standing by the roadside at the Dansoman Roundabout awaiting a taxi home.
While there, a motorbike stopped beside him and the accused person, who was the pillion rider, got off the motorbike, wielding a knife and ordered the complainant to hand over his belongings and that he would stab him if he refused to give in to the order.
The prosecutor said the accused forcibly took from the complainant his DSTV Walker valued at GHc260 and a cash of GHc200. “While this was happening, the accused person’s accomplice, Yaw Annan Ampomah, was wielding a knife and looking on,” the prosecutor said.
She said the accused after robbing the complainant quickly got onto the motorbike and they sped off. His accomplice was however arrested later and charged with robbery.He was arraigned before court, pleaded guilty to the offence and was convicted and sentenced on his own plea.
Sumaila, who had been on the run, was subsequently arrested by the police, charged with the offence and arraigned before court.
He had earlier pleaded not guilty to the offence.