An Accra Circuit Court has sentenced two persons to a total of 32 years imprisonment in hard labour for robbery.

Yaw Ofori Asiamah, barber and Emmanuel Ocran Kounakey, unemployed, denied conspiring to rob a trader of her purse, containing a mobile phone and GHS44.00 but were found culpable after trial and sentenced 16 years each.

Police Chief Inspector John Gohoho told the Court that Madam Comfort Korkor Dapaah is the complainant.

He said both convicts: Asiamah and Kounakey resided at Nungua Addogono and on May 4, 2022, at about 0030 hours, the complainant had closed from work at Nungua Abrantee College area and was on her way home when the now convicts, who were roaming in the area, looking for vulnerable and unsuspecting people to prey on, spotted her on the road.

Chief Inspector Gohoho said the convicts started stalking her and when she got to the darkest section of the road, they pounced on her.

The Court heard that the two wielding a knife and a pair of scissors, pulled them out and threatened to stab the complainant.

They then slapped the complainant on the face with a powdered red-hot substance suspected to be ground pepper and later fled the scene with the complainant’s plastic bag, containing her black purse, a Samsung mobile phone, a Voter’s ID card and GHS44.00.

He said the complainant reported the matter to the Nungua Police. About two hours later, Police officers at Nungua Addogono during a snap check at a duty point, spotted the convicts in a taxi.

A search conducted on them revealed a knife and a pair of scissors, he added.

Prosecution said further search conducted in the taxi revealed the complainant’s hand bag and the stolen items.

Based on this, the convicts were arrested and during the investigations, they admitted the offence in their cautioned statements and were charged after investigations.