An Accra circuit court yesterday jailed the two robbers 50 years standing trial over attacks at the Silver Bird Cinema at the West Hills Mall at Weija for 50 years.

They are Sulley Jali, 24, truck pusher and Stephen Ayombah, aka Shoe Maker, 20 years.

The two denied the charges of conspiracy, robbery and two counts of intentionally and unlawful­ly harming Messrs Frank Owusu and Albert Adomako Mensah through gunshots at the Mall.

The convicts, according to the prosecution led by DSP Ernest Acheampong, are alleged to have on May 24, 2015 robbed Mr. Owusu of his Samsung Galaxy Mega G3 mobile phone valued at $500.

The court, presided over by Justice Francis Obiri, found the accused persons guilty of the charges and sentenced them accordingly.

Delivering the sentence, the judge, among other things, stated that the accused persons in their caution statements admit­ted the offence but denied same when they were arraigned before the court.

While describing the action as "self-seeking" and an "afterthought," Jus­tice Obiri said the statements were voluntarily given to the police by the accused persons without any duress.

Justice Obiri said in view of the time said robbery took place, the convicts could be said to be daring and brave adding, "They shot PW1 (Mr. Owusu); they nearly killed him."

"Mercy is shown to those who show mercy; the public will be appeased if the accused persons are given a harsher sentence to serve as a deterrent to others," he said.

Justice Obiri slapped both Sulley and Ayombah, 15 years each for conspiracy and 25 years each for robbery, to run concurrently.

Earlier, DSP Acheampong had told the court that Sulley did all his robberies in broad day light, insisting that the convict was not prepared.

The facts of the case as presented by DSP Acheampong were that at about 3:45 pm on the said date, the Greater Accra Regional Police Command received a distress call that a gang of armed robbers had invaded the projection room of the Silver Bird Cinema where the accounts office was situated, amidst firing of gunshots at the Mall.

He said the police responded to the call and arrested the two robbers.

The police officer said Shoe Maker claimed he took the pistol from a Fulani man at Sandema and used it to rob to enable him raise Ȼ1,500 to pay the hospital bills of his pregnant wife who had been diagnosed of Hepatitis B.