An 18-year-old student of Adanwomase Senior High School, Gabriel Osei Kwame, has been convicted for robbing a teacher, Matilda Boatema, and sentenced to 15 years imprisonment with hard labor by a Circuit Court at Old Tafo in the Ashanti Region.
The judge, His Honour Festus Nukunu, imposed the sentence after Gabriel pleaded guilty to the robbery charge, as per section 149 of the Criminal and Other Offences Act (Act 29) of 1960.
The incident occurred on the morning of March 4, 2024, at about 7:30 am, when Gabriel assaulted Matilda with a jackknife near her residence in Adanwomase. He robbed her of her Infinix Hot 9 smartphone valued at 700 cedis, cash amounting to 570 cedis, as well as rice, stew, and some documents.
Matilda reported the robbery to the Asonomaso police, who responded promptly. They found her bag abandoned in a nearby bush, though the phone and cash were missing. The police gathered evidence from the scene for further inquiry.
On March 25, Matilda identified Gabriel in the company of a friend in Adanwomase, leading to his arrest. Initially, Gabriel denied any involvement in the robbery but later confessed to the police. He admitted to robbing the complainant and disclosed that he sold the stolen phone at Adum PZ for 250 cedis.
State prosecutor, Inspector Alfred Aruk, informed the court that Gabriel was unable to assist the police in recovering the phone. Following the investigation, he was charged with robbery and brought before the court.