Escapee convict sentenced two years

One of two convicts who escaped from lawful custody with the assistance of a police investigator, Emmanuel Kwame Nyanteh, has been sentenced to two years with hard labour by the Kumasi Circuit Court.

Nyanteh, 33, unemployed and son of a Twedie Police Station Officer, Chief Inspector Kennedy Kwame Nyanteh, pleaded guilty to one count of escaping from lawful custody and was convicted on his own plea by the court presided over by Mrs Mary Nsenkyire.

Sentence

In sentencing Nyanteh, the presiding judge said she took into consideration his youthful age and the fact that he did not waste the court’s time and showed remorse for his action.

Ironically, it was the same court and judge that earlier sentenced him and Frederick Asante, his accomplice, currently at large, to 10 and 11 years respectively with hard labour for conspiracy to commit crime and robbery.

The convict had earlier explained to the court that it was the investigator who promised to help them and on the day of their conviction, “he took us to the regional office where he kept us at the ‘counter back’ for a very long time”.

According to him, Sgt Mensah later released them and advised them not to engage in anything that would bring them in conflict with the law as that could land him in trouble.

Nyanteh told the court that the investigator further asked them to go far away from Kumasi and later took them to the VIP Terminal at Asafo where he gave them GH¢50 each.

Substantive case

Detective Sergeant Asante, Chief Inspector  Nyanteh, Inspector William Armah, a relative of  Asante and Comfort Tiwaa Nyanteh, the wife of Chief Inspector Nyanteh, are currently standing trial for their various roles in the escape of the two convicts.

They all pleaded not guilty to the charges of aiding, abetment and bribery and have been admitted to bail in the sum of GH¢100,000 each with two sureties to be justified.

The case has been adjourned to February 22, 2018.