In order to escape a failed robbery attempt against a seamstress, an unemployed man, Dickson Larbi, allegedly hid in the ceiling of a nearby house. He was, however, later arrested and handed over to the police.
The accused, also known as Puplampu, has been charged with unlawful entry, assault and robbery. He pleaded not guilty before an Accra Circuit Court presided over by Mr Isaac Addo last Tuesday.
The court admitted him to bail in the sum of GH¢200,000 with three sureties, one of whom must justify the bond with landed property. He is expected to reappear before the court on August 17, 2026.
Brief fact
Presenting the facts of the case, Chief Inspector Josephine Lamptey said the complainant, Pauline Dankwa-Smith, is a seamstress who lives at Sakumono, a suburb of Accra, while Larbi is unemployed and has no specific place of residence.
The prosecution said that on June 22, 2026, the complainant spotted the accused in the backyard of her house near the water meter.
On noticing that he had been seen, Larbi allegedly signalled to the complainant not to raise an alarm. However, she screamed for help and attempted to flee.
The prosecutor said the accused allegedly rushed towards her, pushed her to the ground, pointed a sharp metallic object at her and demanded her mobile phone.
The prosecution said although the complainant kept shouting for help, Larbi seized her phone, discarded it shortly afterwards and tried to flee by scaling the compound wall.
The prosecution said residents later found him hiding in the ceiling of a neighbouring house and handed him over to the police.
Police investigations led to the retrieval of a pair of scissors, a hat and slippers believed to belong to the accused from the scene.
Further investigations, according to the prosecution, established that Larbi had recently been released from prison after serving a sentence for a similar offence.
In his caution statement, however, the accused denied the allegations, claiming he had gone to the complainant's residence to look for scrap metals.
