An Accra Circuit Court has sentenced a dispatch rider to ten years in prison for aiding and abetting robbery in La, Accra.
Lord Mensah was found guilty of abetment of crime, specifically robbery, at the trial’s end.
The court, presided over by Mr. Isaac Addo, noted that the prosecution, led by Chief Inspector Jonas Lawer, had proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt after calling two witnesses.
Mensah’s accomplices, identified as Nana, Black, Emma, and Malouda, are still at large.
In his appeal for mitigation, Mensah asked the court to “forgive him so he could return home, take care of his baby, wife, and the entire family.”
The judge, however, handed a 10-year prison sentence, citing Mensah’s status as a first-time offender, age, and his appeal for mitigation.
Chief Inspector Lawer said the complainant, Rita Ruth Effie Arthur, is a student at South La Estates.
Mensah and his accomplices lived near Agbogbloshie in Accra.
On November 7, 2023, Mensah picked up Nana and Black as pillion riders on a motorcycle, while Emmanuel picked up Malouda on another bike.
According to the prosecution, they went from Agbogbloshie to a cosmetic shop in the Sergeant Adjetey area of La.
When the complainant arrived at the cosmetic shop, holding her phone, Mensah took Nana and Black closer and parked.
The prosecution said Nana and Black, armed with a jackknife, ordered the complainant to surrender all her belongings or be stabbed.
The complainant handed her iPhone 6s and iPhone 5, both worth GHC2,100.
The prosecutor said Nana and Black rushed onto the motorcycle, and Mensah drove off with the booty.
Mensah’s luck ran out when he fell and was injured.
The prosecution said on November 7, 2023, Mensah approached a motorbike mechanic, a witness in the case, at Agbogboloshie and pleaded with him to use one of the motorcycles being repaired to buy an item in Accra.
It said Mensah therefore took one royal motorcycle with registration number M-23-GA- 2328 and left.
While in town, Mensah changed the registration number of the motorcycle to a foreign number plate for the robbery and drove his accomplices to La.
When Mensah was apprehended, he gave the identities of his accomplices and pleaded for mercy.
The prosecution said Mensah assisted the police to retrieve the complainant’s two mobile phones.
