Court remands 22-year old for robbery

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Accra, Aug. 19, GNA - An Accra circuit court on Tuesday remanded Seidu Mohammed, unemployed, in police  custody for  robbery and causing unlawful damage.

The accused person pleaded  not guilty  and would re-appear on September 2.

Counsel for the accused  person told  the court that his client is 14 years but Deputy Superintendent of Police(DSP) Ernest Acheampong said the accused told the police he was 22 years.

The court, presided over  by Ali  Baba, therefore, ordered the accused to produce his birth certificate. 

However, the court  observed that  the birth certificate the accused presented was procured after the  order was  made.

Due to the decision of the court, the counsel insisted his client was under-aged and has filed an  appeal at  the High Court.

DSP Acheampong said  the complainant  in the case is a driver at Awoshie, while the accused person  is unemployed .

He said the accused  person claimed  to have been sleeping in parked vehicles at the Kaneshie Station.

The prosecution said for sometime now, passengers on board the vehicle and pedestrians suffered in the  hands of  criminals, who forcibly collected phones and valuable items from them at the station.

He said the criminals acted swiftly that they vanish into thin air after committing the crime.

They also possess knives and harmful objects to the extent that they harm victims who tried to recover their items, he said.

He said on July 8, the complainant was on board a vehicle about to load from the station and when he was about receiving a call, accused person hit his hand with his fist and forcibly collected his phone, through the window.

DSP Acheampong said as the accused person tried to escape, the complainant raised an alarm and he  was given  a hot chase by some people around and on sensing danger, he smashed  the phone  on the ground causing damage to it, but he was arrested.

He said the accused person  was brought  to the Kaneshie Police Station where he admitted the offence.

GNA