Two men shed tears in an Adentan Circuit Court as they were each sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for attempted robbery, after brandishing a kitchen knife and demanding the victim's phone and money.
The victim, Yaw Richard Essel, managed to escape the ordeal, but his friends apprehended the accused individuals the following day.
Agoro Sheriff, 20, and Richard Kwame Kusi, 18, pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit a crime and attempted robbery before Judge Mrs Sedinam Awo Balokah, who convicted and sentenced them to 10 years of hard labour.
While awaiting the necessary documentation to begin their jail terms, the convicted individuals shed tears in the courtroom, with Sheriff reminding Kusi that their weeping would not change their fate.
Kusi, amidst tears, claimed innocence and stated that he had no knowledge of the crime, while Sheriff, seeking consolation, explained that he resorted to robbing someone's phone after being a victim of robbery himself.
Inspector Eric Ransford Abban, leading the prosecution, revealed that the complainant was Yaw Richard Essel, a trader residing in Legon, while the accused individuals were unemployed and lived in Madina.
According to the prosecution, on May 7, 2023, around 10:30 pm, the complainant was walking from Atomic Junction towards Legon Mall when Sheriff, accompanied by Kusi, shouted at him to stop.
Armed with a kitchen knife, Sheriff and Kusi demanded the victim's phone and money, but the complainant managed to escape narrowly.
The complainant's friends were informed of the incident and successfully apprehended the accused individuals the next day at Atomic Junction Bus Stop.
Formal charges were filed by the complainant, and investigations revealed that the day before the incident, Sheriff and Kusi had discussed their plans for a robbery operation in the area.
Kusi obtained a kitchen knife from his mother's kitchen and handed it to Sheriff for their intended robbery.
