FOUR HELD 3 MONTHS OVER PHONE THEFT

The Accra High Court yesterday remanded four men in prison custody for a smart phone theft.

Prosecution lawyer Winifred Sarpong told the court how had terrorised customers in Adenta on January 9, 2013 and brutally beaten a security guard, before getting away with a Samsung Galaxy 3 and unestimated amount of money purported to be the daily sales.

‘He said the four men acted with a common purpose to commit robbery contrary to section 23(1) and 149 of the criminal offences Act 1960, Act 29 as amended by criminal code 2003, Act 646’.

Before the court was Felix Congo aka red eye, aged 28, Nathaniel Addo, 25, Shaibu Haadi 23, and Lucas Anum Tawiah,19 all of whom are an unemployed from Kpeve in the Volta Region but living at Madina in the Abokobi Madina District,They denied the charge of armed robbery.

Winifred Sarpong prayed the court that he intended to call witnesses to prove that accuse were the four men involved in the armed hold-up, outside Heal the World Enterprise.

He said  they had driven a stolen Mazda 626 along the Dodowa road to the ‘Akatsi aboi’, where the gang had abandoned the car and driven away in a waiting Toyota Corola S. They were the same four men who had returned later that same day to Madina, where they had publicly boasted of what they had done and hosted a big party, he added.

Winifred Sarpong told the court that the accuse were the same four men who tried to avoid arrest by driving through a police road block and shooting at the police, although it was not suggested that who amongst them actually fired any shots at the police.

Mr Prince Kofi Frimpong, representing Red Eye and co, said that he would prove that his client were nowhere near Adenta Streets at the time of the robbery, and he would also show that the prosecution's identification of  His clients as the gang depended on an eye witness accounts.

"We shall show that this person's evidence is not reliable, because he has a grudge against the defendant," said Mr Frimpong. "We shall show that the police have been sadly deceived, and that the defendants  are  the victims of a terrible plot to have them punished for a crime which they did not commit."

The case is being heard by His Lordship Justice Alex Abban. Justice Abban in his ruling remanded the four accuse persons 3 months in prison custody to enable the prosecuting counsel to investigate and put together his evidence before the court. The court was adjourned to 17^th day of April,2013.