The Bekwai Circuit Court in the Ashanti Region has handed down severe sentences in two criminal cases.
Akwasi Agyemang, a 20-year-old ex-convict, was sentenced to 25 years of hard labor for a series of heinous crimes.
On August 25, 2024, Agyemang broke into the home of an 8-month pregnant teenager in Feyiase.
Armed with a knife, he threatened the victim, stole her belongings, and then raped her before fleeing.
The victim’s cry for help attracted neighbors, who, with the help of the local assembly member, managed to apprehend Agyemang.
After confessing to the robbery charge, Agyemang was convicted, though the rape charge is still under review by the Attorney General’s office.
In another case, the Bekwai Circuit Court sentenced Kwabena Ofori, a 23-year-old tricycle rider and ex-convict, to nine years in prison.
Ofori was found guilty of assaulting a driver in Beposo, a town in the Bekwai Municipality. He had previously threatened the victim, suspecting the victim’s younger brother of having an affair with his girlfriend.
Ofori inflicted severe injuries on the victim before escaping.
The police later discovered that Ofori was already serving a sentence at Kumasi Central Prison for a different crime. Upon his release, he was arrested and sentenced to nine years of hard labor for the recent assault.