Fisherman jailed 40 years for rape, robbery

A fisherman who raped and robbed a woman in the presence of her two children at Banana Inn, Accra, has been sentenced to 40 years imprisonment. 

Charged with robbery, Emmanuel Tetteh popularly known as 666, Escoba, pleaded not guilty before an Accra Circuit Court.

The Court presided over by Isaac Addo at the end of the trial, found Tetteh guilty and sentenced him accordingly.

The convict is currently serving six years imprisonment for stealing money and a mobile phone. 

The phone, which had a tracking device, led to his arrest.  

Pre-meditated

The trial judge in sentencing Tetteh considered the premeditated way the act was done.

It noted that at the point of robbing the victim, the accused had sexual intercourse with the victim in the presence of her two daughters, aged three and five years.  

Again, the accused committed the offence while another case against him was pending at Circuit Court 10 in Accra.

It said with such a criminal mind, the accused did not deserve to live in society, and he must be kept away for a long time.

The prosecution, led by Chief Inspector Jonas Lawer, said looking at the antecedent of the accused, the severest sentence should be passed on him.

During the trial, the prosecution called two witnesses while the accused called his wife as a defence witness. 

Facts

The facts before the court were that the complainant, whose name was withheld, resides at Abolo Bridge, a suburb of Banana Inn, while the accused convict was a resident of Chorkor.

On June 23, 2022, at about 6 a.m., the complainant came to the Police Station and reported that the same day, she slept off on her sofa in the hall and woke up around 3 a.m.

The prosecution said when the complainant woke up, she saw her sliding window together with the burglar-proof on the main door opened.

The court heard that the complainant thought it was her daughter who had left them open, so she called her to come and close them only for the accused to come from her bedroom with a knife to her throat. 

The prosecution said the accused asked her to keep quiet and lie down and hand over her Samsung Galaxy A12 mobile phone valued at GH¢900, which was beside her.

According to the prosecution, the accused person knelt beside her and fondled her. He asked her to lead him to where she kept her money.

The prosecution said the accused gave his orders to the complainant in Ga Language.

The prosecutor said the complainant’s money was in her bedroom, so the accused followed her with the knife to the bedroom where he robbed her of cash in the sum of GH¢2,090 together with another unspecified amount of money.

After robbing her of the phone and money, the accused had sex with the complainant after giving her a hefty slap when she declined.

“After raping her, he used the bed sheet beside her to clean his penis and bolted,” the prosecution said.

The prosecution said it was observed at the crime scene that a similar modus operandi was used by the accused in other criminal adventures as captured in cases before the Adjabeng District Court Circuit Court 10 in Accra.

Prosecution said on July 15, 2024, the complainant pointed out the accused in an identification parade.