Court grants bail to car snatchers: Trial has been adjourned 60 times

The Accra Circuit Court has granted bail to three car snatchers following the absence of a prosecutor to handle their case.

They are Emmanuel Gbetor, a driver; Freeman Fancy, a businessman, and Richmond Azeinge, an electrician.

The accused persons have been in police custody since December 2011 and their trial has been adjourned 60 times due to the death of the prosecutor.

After the prosecutor’s death, no prosecutor was assigned to prosecute their case.

The three had always been taken to court by prison wardens on the adjourned dates but the absence of a prosecutor compelled the court to adjourn their trial.

They had been charged with robbery and causing unlawful harm.

They had attacked a lady and snatched her Toyota Highlander from her at Community 18 in Tema on December 15, 2011 and bolted with the vehicle to Togo where they sold it.

They also used a knife to stab a Good Samaritan, a shop owner, who had gone to the lady’s aid.

Background

The facts of the case, as presented by the new prosecutor, Chief Inspector Philip K. Perdison, were that Gbetor, Fancy and Azeinge were arrested by policemen on night patrol in the Ho Municipality following a complaint by the Executive Director of Resolve Ghana Limited that the three had snatched her car.

During investigations, the three confessed to snatching the complainant’s vehicle, as well as to several car-snatching robberies they had committed in Tema, Lashibi, Community 18, the Greda Estate and neighbouring areas.

He said about 9 p.m. on December 15, 2011, the complainant visited a supermarket at Community 18 and after shopping, she sat in her Toyota vehicle with registration number GW 9838-Z.

He said one of the accused persons knocked on the car window  as a ploy that there was a problem with the back tyre and when she came out, the accused persons attacked her and snatched the ignition key from her.

The shop owner, who saw the incident, quickly came out to assist the complainant but the accused persons attacked him and stabbed him with the knife.

The accused persons sped off with the vehicle and a complaint was made to the Community 18 police, who arrested the three men.

During interrogations, the prosecutor said they admitted the offence and said they sold the vehicle for GH¢7, 000 to one Dominic Senyo in Togo.

Senyo was subsequently nabbed and he admitted the offence.