Policeman jailed 20 years for armed robbery

A Circuit Court in Koforidua has sentenced a policeman, Corporal Ghasty Yahaya Seidu, to 20 years imprisonment in hard labour for armed robbery.

In March 2018, the convict, Corporal Seidu, who was stationed at the Akuse District Police Command, together with Seth Kponyo Dodzi, a security officer and five others, attacked and robbed a filling station of GH¢37,851 at Okwenya in the Lower Manya Krobo Municipality in the Eastern Region.They also inflicted severe machete wounds on security guards at the station which led to them being hospitalised for several weeks.

Proven guilty

The presiding judge, Ms Mercy Addai Kotei, sentenced the 37-year-old Lance Corporal on two counts of conspiracy to commit robbery and robbery after he was proven guilty.
Lance Corporal Seidu will, therefore, serve the 20 years’ jail term each for both counts that would run concurrently.

The police convict was arrested on Thursday, April 26, 2018 at Akosombo upon invitation to the Akosombo Divisional Police Command following a tip-off over a robbery that took place at Okwenya Shell filling station on Monday, March 26, 2018.

The accused, in the process, battered Mr Kudjo Akakpo, who was on duty as a security officer on the day of the robbery into coma. The victim recovered weeks later at the 37 Military Hospital in Accra.

Prosecution

The prosecutor, Mr Dickson Donkor, informed the court that weapons and other items including a pistol with two magazines, three 1.8 mm ammunition, three pepper spray cans, a knife, an axe, a pair of handcuff, bayonet; as well as 10 wristwatches were found in the room of the accused after a search was conducted.

Ms Addai Kotei dismissed Lance Corporal Seidu’s notion of not pleading guilty and sentenced him after his involvement in the robbery was proven beyond reasonable doubt.

However, the suspected accomplice of the police officer in the same case, Mr Seth Dodzi Kpornyo, was acquitted and discharged after the court established that prosecution could not prove a charge beyond any reasonable doubt against him. Nonetheless, four others declared at large in connection with the robbery could not stand trial as they could not be found.

Severely punished

The prosecutor pleaded that because of the gravity of the offence, coupled with the fact that the accused person was a policeman and did not show any remorse during the trial, he should be severely punished to serve as a deterrent to others.

Meanwhile, Lance Corporal Seidu, who was to be the prime suspect, was standing another trial at the Koforidua High Court for possessing firearms without lawful authority.

The Eastern Regional Police Crime Officer who led the investigations, Superintendent David Gyabah, said after the ruling last Thursday that the punishment was to serve as a deterrent for other police personnel.

“We have to do our job no matter how difficult it is. The law has to take its course so we pursued our investigations within the law. We had to work and pursue this case so people will not say we are trying to protect our own. I can say that we set out to do our job and we believe we have done our job as expected. Our men and everybody should be law-abiding to regulate our conduct.”