Alleged cop robber did not confess — Lawyer

The lawyer for Corporal Raymond Amegashie, the policeman alleged to have led a gang to rob a supermarket at Nungua in Accra in December 2017, has refuted claims by the police that his client confessed to the crime.

Police prosecutors had tendered what they described as a confession statement made by Cpl Amegashie on December 14, 2017 at the Accra Circuit Court as evidence in the trial of the policeman and three others accused of robbery.

But, according to the lawyer, Mr Paul Asibi Abariga, his client never confessed to the robbery but that the police rather wrote the purported confession statement and forced his client to thumbprint it.

Counsel made the allegation when he cross-examined the investigator of the case, Sergeant Wisdom Dometi, one of the prosecution witnesses, at the court yesterday.

Thumbprint and signature

The issues of thumbprint and signature dominated the cross-examination when the investigator told the court that he had written the confession statement following a request from Cpl Amegashie.

He further explained that after writing the confession, Cpl Amegashie thumbprinted it, instead of pending his signature to it.

Sgt Dometi’s claims led to more questions from Mr Abariga, who queried him as to why Cpl Amegashie would thumbprint the confession statement when he (Amegashie) had signed all his previous statements to the police.

“When he (Amegashie) told you to write the confession for him, was he sick or did he demonstrate any inability to write?’’ counsel asked the investigator.

Mr Dometi answered in the negative.

“I put it to you that you tormented A1 (Amegashie), wrote down the confession statement and then forced him to thumbprint it. That is why it is the only statement which is different from the rest,’’ Mr Abariga said.

Sgt Dometi, however, refuted Mr Abariga’s claims and explained that the accused decided to thumbprint the confession statement, although he had signed the other previous statements.

The trial continues today at the court, presided over by Mr AboagyeTandoh.

Alleged robbery

The accused persons — Cpl Amegashie, Ibrahim Ayirebo, Bright Dorkanu and Stanley Akorli — are currently on remand after they had pleaded not guilty to conspiring to rob and robbery.

They are alleged to have robbed the supermarket at Nungua on December 12, 2017 and bolted with GH¢45,000 and $1,000.

The facts, as presented by Chief Inspector Adu, were that the complainant, Helen Asante, is a trader operating a supermarket around the Nungua branch of the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB).

Cpl Amegashie was stationed at the Tema Regional SWAT Unit; Ayirebo resided at Tema Community 1; Dorkanu also resided at Ashiaman, while Akorli lived at Tema Gulf City.

According to the prosecutor, on December 12, 2017, Helen was in her supermarket about 9 p.m. when she was attacked by Cpl Amegashie, Ayirebo, Dorkanu and Akorli.

The four, he said, had gone to the supermarket in a taxi, entered the shop amid sporadic shooting and robbed the owner of GH¢45,000 and $1,000.

“The robbers, after succeeding in their robbery, boarded the taxi and sped off towards Tema,” he said.

Chief Inspector Adu said Ayirebo, Dorkanu and Akorli were nabbed at the Community 18 Abattoir Police Check Point and GH¢19,500 and $600 were retrieved from them after the shop owner had lodged a complaint with the police.

Cpl Amegashie, the prosecutor explained, managed to escape with his AK 47 rifle and spent the night at the Tema Motorway Roundabout.

He returned his rifle the following day.

“Cpl Amegashie was arrested at the Tsopoli Police Barrier and handed over to the police for investigations,” Chief Inspector Adu added.

Writer’s email: emma.hawkson@graphic.com.gh