TWO CONVICTED TO SERVE 130 YEARS JAIL TERM (MIRROR, PAGE 19, JULY 24, 2010)

From George Ernest Asare.

Two young men, sentenced to serve a total of 120 years in jail by a Kumasi Circuit court three weeks ago for robbery, were in the news again at the weekend when they were convicted to serve another 130 years for a similar criminal offence committed at Ejura in the Ashanti Region last year.
Alim Yaao Dawuda, 23, and Mohammed Yussif, 25, described as incorrigible gangsters were at the weekend, convicted by a Kumasi court presided over by Mr Emmanuel Amoo-Yartey to serve an additional 65 year jail term each .
This was after the court had found them guilty for attacking an Ejura based businessman deep in the night on May 26, 2009 thereby robbing him of an amount of GH¢680.
The convicts also attacked and wounded their victim by firing sporadically in his compound after they had used a heavy metal to force his gates open.
It was in the course of the sporadic gun shots that the victim was hit in the left palm .
After entering their apartment and robbing them of a total of GH¢680 , the convicts again shot the victim in the leg, causing him to bleed profusely.
He was rushed to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital for treatment after the convicts had escaped .
The convicts pleaded not guilty to the charges of conspiracy to rob and robbery when they appeared before the court, but after the trial which had lasted for over a year, the court found them guilty of the offence and convicted them accordingly.
The court has issued a warrant for the arrest of their accomplice, who was identified as Monzil Alhassan for him to face justice.
Giving an account of the incident during the trial, a Senior State Attorney, Mr Richmond Osei Hwere said around 1:30 am on May 26, 2009, when the business man, who resides at Ejura Gonja Line was asleep, he heard sporadic gun fire in his compound, creating a state of panic .
He said in the course of the gun fire, the convicts ordered the victim to open his door, warning that, they would shoot him if he failed to open the door.
Mr Osei Hwere said they ignored the threats , causing the convicts to fire directly into their apartment.
This, he said, caused some of the pellets to hit the left palm of the complainant, a situation that made it possible for Alim Yaao Dawuda to force the door open, and at gun point, ordered the complainants to surrunder all their money, and that if they failed their heads would be blown off completely.
Mr Osei Hwere said after succeeding in robbing the victims of an amount of GH¢680, the convicts who were not satisfied with the booty, shot directly the legs of the businessman, causing him to bleed profusely.