Taxi driver jailed 40 years for robbery

An Accra Circuit Court on Thursday sentenced Daniel Kusi Appiah, a taxi driver, to 40 years imprisonment for robbing national service personnel.

The convict threatened the victim with a sharp knife and robbed her of Samsung Galaxy phone and Nokia phone, valued at GH¢1,550 and €50.

The accused, who was charged for robbery, pleaded guilty to the offence.

However, his accomplice Francis Kwarteng, a mobile phone dealer who was charged for dishonestly receiving , pleaded not guilty to the charge and was admitted to GH¢10,000 bail.

Chief Superintendent (Sup) Dusuti Tuaruka said the complainant is national service personnel who live at Kwabenya.

He said on October 25, about 17530 hours the complainant and a witness in the case, hired Appiah, who was driving a taxi from Obra Spot, Nkrumah Circle, to Kwabenya at a fare of GH¢15.

Chief Sup. Tuaruka told the court that the witness paid his lorry fare and that of the complainant, and alighted at ABC junction and the complainant continued with the driver to Kwabenya.

The prosecution said just about some few meters to the complainant’s residence; Appiah packed the taxi and locked the doors, preventing the complainant from alighting from vehicle.

Chief Sup. Tuaruka said the accused pulled out a sharp kitchen knife from the vehicle, and pointed it at the complainant and ordered her to surrender her two mobile phones, all valued at  GH¢1,550, and €50.

He said the accused asked the complainant to either agree to a sexual intercourse in the taxi or forego the phones and cash he forcibly collected from the victim.

Chief Sup Tuaruka said the complainant pleaded with Appiah to spare her but he (Appiah) pushed the complainant out of the taxi and sped away with the booty. The complainant reported the case to the Kwabenya Police.

The court heard that on November 9, the witness spotted the taxi of the accused and alerted a Police officer who was on duty at the Passport Office around the Ridge area and the accused was arrested.

The prosecution said when the taxi was searched the Police found the knife the taxi driver used in robbing the complainant.

Chief Sup. Tuaruka said when the accused was interrogated by the Police he admitted the offence, and he was handed over to the Greater Accra Regional Criminal Investigations Department for the necessary action.

He said the accused stated that he had sold the Samsung Galaxy to Kwarteng at Circle for GH¢500 and the Nokia phone was also sold to somebody he could not identify for GH¢40.

He said the accused led the Police to Nkrumah Circle near the Ghana Commercial Bank area where he identified Kwarteng as the one who received the Samsung Galaxy phone and he was arrested.

Chief Sup. Tuaruka said Kwarteng in his caution statement admitted buying the phone from Appiah at GH¢500 and said he also sold the phone to another person he could not identify.

Source: GNA