ROBBERS, RAPISTS JAILED 205 YEARS (PAGE 3, DEC 31, 2010)

Two members of a gang who robbed and raped their victims at gunpoint at Apatrapa in Kumasi have been jailed a total of 205 years by the Nkawie Circuit Court.
While Baba Sunday, alias Akobla, 27, was sentenced to 115 years, Stanley Mensah, 26, was jailed 90 years.
Two other members of the gang escaped. They were the ringleader whose name was given as Ibrahim Tijani, alias Babangiba, and one Mustapha.
The court, presided over by Mr Jerome Noble Nkrumah, took a serious view of the act and handed them the long sentences.
Both convicts denied the charges of robbery and rape claiming that they were members of the Roman Catholic Church who went for a prayer meeting in the area that night.
However, they could neither tell the exact place where the prayer meeting was held nor could they answer any question relating to the Catholic doctrine.
On the other hand, the prosecution was able to adduce evidence to back the charges and the two were consequently convicted by the court.
Prosecuting, a Principal State Attorney, Mrs Afia Serwah Asante, informed the court that at about 2 am on June 5, 2010, the police at Abuakwa received a distress call that armed robbers had attacked a house at Apatrapa.
The police patrol team quickly proceeded to the area, where they saw the victims who narrated the ordeal they went through at the hands of their assailants who had then left.
When the robbers, numbering four, invaded the house, they raped two young women and took away two laptops, cash and mobile phones.
The prosecutor said the robbers also asked a young man to have sex with his mother and only dropped their directive after realising that the woman was old in age.
The prosecutor said the victims gave the description of the robbers to the police to assist in their arrest.
While the police were returning to their base, they spotted four men who met the description given them.
The Principal State Attorney stated that when the police vehicle stopped, the men took to their heels but the police gave them a chase and arrested two of them.
On their arrest, the police found on them the laptops they took from their victims, as well as mobile phones, jewellery and some cash.
An identification parade was organised where the victims identified the two robbers.