A 22-year-old Bolt driver and mechanic, Emmanuel Kofi Mensah has been sentenced to 25 years imprisonment in hard labour by the Adenta Circuit Court for robbery.
Mensah was convicted on his own plea of guilty before the court presided over by Angela Attachie.
The convict was hired by Yvonne Dzane Dzifa, from Madina Zongo Junction to Adenta on September 23.
Appearing before Ms Angela, Chief Inspector Maxwell Lanyo, prosecuting, told the court that Mensah failed to stop when Dzifa reached her destination at Adenta Barrier.
The court heard Mensah locked the vehicle’s doors and drove towards the Adenta-Dodowa road.
The policeman said Mensah later drove to Mantey Farms, where he allegedly stopped and demanded Dzifa’s handbag and other belongings.
Chief Insp. Lanyo said when Ms Dzifa refused, he repprtedly pulled out a cutlass, threatened her and dragged her from the vehicle before repeatedly striking her as she held on to her bag.
The prosecution said Mensah eventually slashed Dzifa’s left wrist and little finger, forcing her to release the bag.
The bag contained an iPhone 17 Pro Max valued at GH¢18,000, an iPhone 12 worth GH¢3,500, GH¢3,200 in cash and other personal belongings.
Mensah allegedly contacted an accomplice, who arrived at the scene on a motorbike.
Dzifa, however, managed to take a backpack from the front seat of the vehicle and escaped into a nearby bush.
The two men reportedly pursued her with the cutlass but failed to retrieve the backpack. Dzifa then scaled the fence of a nearby house and remained there until the following morning, when the landlord notified the Police.
Police officers subsequently rescued her and found a tablet and mini-laptop in the backpack, which were suspected to be stolen property.
Dzifa, who had sustained a deep cutlass wound to her wrist and little finger, as well as bruises across her body, was later treated at Pantang Government Hospital after reporting the incident.
Mensah was arrested the following day after taking the iPhone 17 Pro Max to an Apple shop at Madina Zongo Junction to sell it.
The shop owner reportedly recognised Dzifa’s picture on the phone and became suspicious that it had been stolen, leading to Mensah’s arrest and subsequent handover to the Police.
A search on Mensah uncovered the cutlass he used for the robbery.
Prosecution said Mensah admitted the offence in his caution statement and pleaded for forgiveness.
The court heard that Mensah claimed the Bolt vehicle belonged to a Nigerian friend but had been unable to identify the owner or the accomplice who allegedly assisted him.
Police investigations are continuing to identify and arrest the other suspect.
BY MALIK SULLEMANA
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