A refuse collector who attempted to rob a diplomat of his iPhone 16 Pro Max and iPhone 8 mobile phones at Cantonments has been sentenced to 10 years imprisonment by an Accra Circuit Court.

The convict, Joshua Aminu, was charged with two counts of attempt to commit robbery. He pleaded guilty to the offences. Aminu committed the offence with a toy gun on September 26.

He pleaded for leniency, but the court, presided over by Mr Jojo Hagan, convicted him on his own plea and sentenced him to 10 years imprisonment on each count. The sentences are to run concurrently.

The court noted that although Aminu did not waste the court’s time by pleading guilty, the sentence was necessary given the prevalence of robbery in the country. He has 30 days to appeal the sentence.

The prosecution said the complainant was a scientist and diplomat with the United States Embassy, residing at Cantonments in Accra, while the convict lived around the Konkomba Market area.

On September 26, between 5:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m., the complainant, Mr John Kiona, was taking a walk around the American Embassy enclave when Aminu confronted him and demanded that he hand over his valuables. They included an iPhone 16 Pro Max, valued at GH¢18,500, and an iPhone 8, valued at GH¢16,500.

The complainant grabbed Aminu’s hand together with the gun and struggled with him until the gun broke, revealing it was a toy. Aminu then fled the scene.

The complainant alerted security personnel, leading to Aminu’s arrest. A search of his brown backpack revealed two kitchen knives. He was handed over to the police along with the broken toy gun and the knives.