An Accra circuit court has ordered the two suspected robbers standing trial over attacks at the Silver Bird Cinema at the West Hills Mall, Weija, to open their defence.
The court, presided over by Justice Francis Obiri – a high court judge sitting with additional responsibility as a circuit court judge – said the prosecution had been able to establish a prima facie case against the accused persons.
This was after the prosecution, led by DSP Ernest Acheampong, had closed its case by presenting its final witness in the trial.
D/Insp. Edward Adjei Odame of the Accra Regional Criminal Investigations Department (CID) said on May 24, 2015, at about 3:45 pm the police had a distress call that a gang of armed robbers, including the accused persons – Stephen Ayombah, 20 and Sulley Jali, 24 – had invaded the projection room of the Silver Bird Cinema where the accounts office was situated, amidst firing of gunshots at the mall.
He said when the police moved to the scene, they arrested the accused persons who were hiding in the ceiling of the air conditioned building.
D/Insp. Odame stated that 10 rounds of ammunition, a foreign made pistol, a pair of scissors and the shell of one spent cartridge were found at the scene.
The police officer posited that there were blood stains at the scene, indicative of the fact that the accused persons had attacked their victims.
He said upon further investigation, the police realised that the said pistol was taken from a Fulani man Ayombah had attacked earlier in Kumasi and used same for the robbery.
In a cross-examination, Jali said the caution statement he gave to the police upon his arrest had been twisted, a claim D/Insp. Odame denied.
Jali said the police did not allow him to express himself at the (police) station.
The two are being tried for conspiring and robbing one Frank Owusu, a cinema projectionist at Silver Bird Cinema, of his Samsung Galaxy Mega G3 mobile phone valued at $500.
They are said to have on the afore-stated date intentionally and unlawfully caused harm to Frank Owusu and one Albert Adomako Mensah through gunshots.
They have denied the charges. Sitting continues today.
He said the police responded to the call and managed to arrest the two.
By Jeffrey De-Graft Johnson
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