Man jailed 26 years for robbery; Trial for murder pending
A labourer who robbed a Chinese businessman has been slapped with a 26 -year jail term with hard labour by an Accra Circuit court.
Michael Mensah is also facing committal proceedings at the Accra Central District Court for allegedly killing the businessman in the robbery act.
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The convict had pleaded not guilty to conspiring to robbery and robbery before the court, presided over by Mr Aboagye Tandoh.
According to the presiding judge, the prosecution proved beyond reasonable doubt to establish Mensah’s guilt.
The court has already sentenced Mensah’s accomplice Ekow Korsah to 22 years imprisonment after he pleaded guilty to the charges during his first appearance before the court.
The prosecutor, Chief Inspector Kofi Adu, told the court that on April 13, 2017 at about 8:30 p.m. the complainant, Emmanuel Owusu, went to the house of the deceased to pick him to work as his usual duty and he detected the door to the deceased room was opened.
C/I Adu said Owusu called the deceased but there was no response, and when he entered the room, he noticed that the room had been ransacked.
Owusu entered the bathroom and saw the deceased lying dead in a pool of blood and made a report to the police.
The prosecutor also stated that the Sakumono police visited the scene and was informed that Mensah, together with Ekow Korsah, were the people who went to the house of the deceased around 8:30 p.m.
On April 16, 2017, Korsah was arrested by the police at his hideout at Lashibi.
A search was conducted on him and a mobile phone and its charger were retrieved.
The phone was identified by a brother of the deceased and confirmed it belonged to the deceased.
“During his caution statement, Ekow Korsah admitted the offence and told the police that he and Mensah went to the house of the deceased to rob and added that Mensah took a kitchen knife and cut the wrist of the deceased which led to his death,” C/I Adu said.
The prosecution further added that the accused persons also took GH¢1,140 which they shared.
On April 21, 2017, Mensah was arrested at Teshie where he led the police to his hometown in the Central Region.
When a search was conducted in his room, dresses and a desktop computer belonging to the deceased were retrieved.
After investigations, the accused was charged and arraigned.
