Robber cop jailed 15 years
The Accra Circuit Court has sentenced a 31-year-old policeman to 15 years’ imprisonment with hard labour for attacking and robbing three Chinese nationals of their belongings at gunpoint.
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The convict, Lance Corporal Benjamin Tekutey, and a civilian friend dressed in police uniforms and armed with an AK47 assualt rifle, robbed the Chinese of their Nissan pickup, money, an iPad and two mobile phones.
The policeman, who has been in custody since his arrest in August 2013, was stationed at the Kaketoo Police Station which is under the Ashaiman Division, when he committed the robbery with Patrick Kobby, who is now at large.
He was charged with two counts of conspiracy and robbery. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy but not guilty to robbery.
However, the court found him guilty of the two charges after a full trial and sentenced him to 15 years on each count that are to run concurrently.
Sentence
Passing sentence, the court, presided over by Mr Justice Francis Obiri, a High Court judge, who was sitting as an additional circuit court judge, said as a policeman, the convict was supposed to protect the public and not rob them.
Earlier, counsel for the convict, Mr George Asamany, pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy as the convict was a serving policeman and a first time offender.
“As a responsible man with a wife and two young children aged two-and-a-half years and six years, the accused has never had any infractions with the law,” the counsel stated.
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Background
The facts of the case were that at 10 p.m. on August 4, 2013, the complainant, Xiangmei Shen, an Engineer, was driving a Nissan pickup with registration number CD 2665 X from the Spintex Road with two other Chinese nationals on board, heading towards the Chinese Embassy at the Airport Residential Area.
On reaching the Tetteh Quarshie Interchange, Lance Corporal Tekutey and his friend dressed in police uniforms and armed with an assualt AK47 rifle, robbed them of GH¢500, an iPad and two mobile phones and also snatched their Nissan pickup.
The complainant subsequently reported the incident to the police and the Osu District Police Commander, who was later on night patrol duty, spotted the Nissan pickup parked opposite the Osu Post Office and brought it to the station.
When an inspection was conducted in the vehicle, the police found a Nokia handset which was said to belong to Lance Corporal Tekutey.
In the course of investigations, the police gathered that it was Lance Corporal Tekutey and his friend who had committed the robbery.