TWO THIEVES HANDED 12 YEARS JAIL TERM

By Felix Engsalige Nyaaba

Two thieves who attacked a business woman and  stole her of GHC1, 400, 60 Euros and a Nokia mobile phone at UTC in the Central Business District of Accra were yesterday sentenced to a total of 12 years imprisonment in hard labour by an Accra Circuit Court.

The convicts, Charles Coffie a.k.a Ankrah, Trader and Michael Odoi, Trader were sentenced on their own plea of guilty to six years jail term  on each count of conspiracy to steal and stealing one Madam Fati Issah, a trader. The sentence is to run concurrently.

However, the court presided over by Miss Audrey Korcuvie-Tay  was silent on their accomplices, Nii Armah and Oko who are all at large and are being searched by the police to face same charges.

The court held that, although they pleaded guilty to the crime, the sentence handed over to the two convicts would serve as deterrent to others.

She said, some of the criminal use their pleads to outwit the court in getting fine or minimum sentence which would enable them to find their way back to their nefarious activities.

“Though you pleaded guilty to the crime, I would sentence you to six years for count one for conspiracy to wit stealing and also six years for count two for stealing and your sentences are to run concurrently,” the judge held.

The two co0nvicts were however, pleaded with the court top tamper justice with mercy and reduce the sentence but the judge did not listening to them and gave them the six years on each counts  top serve as a lesson to others.

The prosecutor, Superintendent Kofi Blagodzi, told the court that, on January 6, this year at about 7:30 pm, the complainant in the case closed from her work and  was driving home with her car of registration number GR 3000- 09.

He said, upon reaching the UTC traffic light, she stopped when the light was red and all of a sudden, she spotted Charles Coffie with a bread Knife by the  car and started scratching the left door of the car to attract her attention.

The prosecutor noted that, as  convict Coffie was scratching the car, convict Michael Odoi and the other accomplices now at large forcibly snatched her lady’s bag from the front seat contain some cash of GHC1,400, 60 Euros and a Nokia mobile phone and bolted.

According to Superintendent Blagodzi, luck however eluded the convicts when the police night patrol Team emerged at the scene and pursued the convicts and their accomplice and in the process, Charles Coffie was apprehended, while Michel escaped with the others and with the bag.

He said, the complainant called the stolen phone number and convict Odoi responded and   she pleaded with him to return the bag to her and the convict agreed but stated that, he had seen only GHC500 in the bag and has taken it.

The prosecutor noted that, unknown to the convict, the complainant kept GFHC900 out of the GHC1400 and the 60 Euros in a separate envelop in some documents in the bag.

That the convict later called and directed the complainant to go to the Mamprobi post office and take her bag.

Superintendent Blagodzi further stated that, the complainant quickly informed the night petrol team and they also took the lead and on arrival the found the complainant bag containing the cash of GHC900, and 60 Euros as well as the Nokia phone.

He said, on January 15, this year, Michael Odoi was spotted at Ordokor and with the assistance by an informant and some police officer, he was apprehended and during their caution statements, they both admitted the offence and mention their accomplices, Nii Armah and Oko as their leaders.

The two were later taking to the Nsawam maximum security prison to begins their jail sentences.