Private security guard gets 25 years for robbery

Accra, Feb. 26, GNA – An Accra Circuit Court on Monday sentenced one Prince Appiah, a private security guard to 25 years imprisonment for robbing one Patience Asante, an Accra-based banker at Community 20, in Accra.

Prince was said to have conspired with one Yeboah, now at large to robbed the complainant, at knife point of an amount of US$ 1,000.00; GH¢ 1,000.00; Euro 500.00; one Ipod, one Samsung Galaxy S7 edge mobile phone, three rotary wrist watches, jewelleries, Automated Teller Machine Card (ATM) and an unspecified amount of South African Rand.

Prince pleaded not guilty to the charges, but after trial, the court presided over by Mr Aboagye Tandoh found him not guilty on the charge of conspiracy, but guilty on the charge of robbery.

The court in sentencing the accused took into consideration, his plea for mitigation, the seven months already spent in custody, the convict being a first time offender and plan adopted against the very person he was supposed to be providing safety.

The facts of the case as presented by Superintendent of Police, Patience Mario were that the complainant is a banker living at Tema Community 20 whilst Prince is a private security guard living at Community 20 with his accomplice friend.

She said when Prince was employed by the security company in January 2017, he was detailed to perform day guard duties at the complainant’s residence but in May, 2017 he was asked to perform night guard duties as the position had become vacant.

She said this made Prince more familiar with the complainant’s activities upon which he then planned with the said Yeboah to rob the complainant.

According to the prosecution, the convict suggested to Yeboah that it would be ideal to rob the complainant on a Friday since she always came home early on those days.

She said on July 14, 2017 when the convict reported for duty at about 1730 hours, he came with two self-designed facemasks and hid them in the security room without his counterpart day security man Joseph Yeboah noticing it.

The complainant arrived home at about 1740 hours and the convict opened the gate for her.

Superintendent Mario said the moment the complainant entered her room Prince invited Yeboah to the house. They put on the masks and went into the room of the house help, one Faustina Asamani aka Auntie Adjoa, 53.

She told the court that they tied her mouth with a scarf to prevent her from shouting. As she was still making noise, they used a pavement block to hit her head several times until she bled to death.

She said Prince, then took a kitchen knife and an electrical cord whilst Yeboah took a T-baton and rushed to the hall of the complainant and met her working on her laptop and asked to keep quiet and surrender all the money she had else they would kill her.

The prosecution said the complainant opened her bag and gave them the afore-mentioned items and moneys. Prince and his accomplice threatened to strangle her with the electrical cord if she did not give them all her money.

She said they marched her to her room upstairs and robbed her of the jewelleries and the other items.

She said Yeboah then asked, Prince to keep watch over the complainant whilst he goes to town to withdraw money with the complainant’s ATM card. Prince took advantage of the absence of Yeboah and again searched the room and managed to get some South African currency.

Later, Prince took the complainant to the room of the deceased woman and showed her the lifeless body.

The complainant later managed to report to the Police and Prince was arrested at his hideout at Biakwaso, near Ashanti Bekwai where he mentioned Yeboah as his accomplice.

GNA

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