Driver’s mate gets four years in jail for robbing iPhone 7

A Circuit Court at Gbetsile near Tema has sentenced a driver’s mate, Ibrahim Abu, to four years imprisonment with hard labour for crossing one Samuel Aquah with a motorcycle and robbing him of an iPhone 7. 

The court, presided over by Mrs. Eleanor Kakra Banes Botchway, sentenced the accused after he had pleaded guilty to the charges. 

Prosecuting, Chief Inspector Maxwell Ayeh said the complainant, Aquah, is a Machine Operator at a steel company in Tema and resides at Saki Bediako near Tema Community 25, while the accused, Abu, a 19-year-old driver’s mate, resides in Asemsoba, Ashaiman. 

The prosecution told the court that for some time now, police have been inundated with reports of phones being snatched from unsuspecting victims in vehicular traffic and on foot at Kpone Barrier by thieves on motorcycles.

He said on November 25, 2023, at about 18:50 hours, Aquah, who was near a spot at Kpone Barrier, got a call. 

The Prosecution said in course of receiving it on his iPhone 7 Plus valued at Gh₵1,650.00, Abu and his accomplice, Roland Kobby riding a motorbike managed to snatch the phone from the complainant and jumped unto a motorbike, but the complainant suddenly grabbed the accused. 

Inspector Ayeh said the complainant raised an alarm, which attracted the attention of some people who were at the scene and assisted the complainant to arrest Abu and recover the iPhone from him, but Kobby the accomplice managed to escape. 

Mr Ayeh said the accused was handed over to the Police with the exhibit and during investigations, the accused confessed to the crime and mentioned Kobby as an accomplice. 

He said after investigation the accused then was charged with the offence and put before court.