A 38-year-old unemployed man who robbed a resident of Nungua and made away with an Itel mobile phone valued at GH¢350 has been sentenced to six years’ imprisonment by a Circuit Court in Accra.

Thomas Kwabena Vordzorgbe is said to have pulled out a machete and slashed the victim on the left hand before forcefully taking the mobile phone.

He pleaded not guilty to one count of robbery, but was found guilty by the court presided over by Basilia Adjei-Tawiah after a full trial.

Facts

The prosecution, led by Chief Inspector John Gohoho, told the court that the complainant is a Nigerian national from Delta State, residing at Nungua Cocoa Beach, while Vordzorgbe resides at Nungua Kingsway.

On November 11, 2022, at about 10:00 p.m., the complainant went to a popular joint at Spintex to socialise with friends, leaving the venue around 3:00 a.m. the next day.

The convict, who saw the complainant from a distance, trailed him to the station and demanded he surrender his belongings. When the complainant resisted, “the convict pulled out a machete and slashed him on the left hand, thus causing harm to him,” Chief Inspector Gohoho said.

“Complainant became helpless and surrendered his Itel mobile phone to the convict,” he added.

The complainant later lodged a report at the Nungua Police Station and was issued with a medical form for treatment.

On the same day, around 7:00 p.m., the complainant received information that the convict had been seen offering the stolen phone for sale at the Nungua Lorry Station.

With the help of others, the complainant went to the location, spotted Vordzorgbe, and identified him as his attacker.

The convict was arrested, and a search on him revealed the complainant’s Itel mobile phone.

The prosecution told the court that Vordzorgbe admitted the offence in his cautioned statement.