Houseboy Jailed 45 Years

A houseboy, who led five others to rob his boss of GH 70,000 cedis at Teshie Nungua Estates in Accra and inflicted cutlass wounds on him, was on Wednesday sentenced to 45 years imprisonment each by a High Court in Accra. Daniel Ayareba, the house boy and a Gardner, Stephen Quarshie, a porter, Kwabena Nimako, Yaw Appiah, Kwesi Frimpong all traders andKojo Ameyaw, a care taker, were charged with conspiracy to commit crime and to wit robbery and robbery. The convicts also made away with five mobile phones and 60 dollars during their operation. Nimako, Frimpong and Ameyaw pleaded guilty when they were arraigned on January 1, 2009, but the court deferred their sentences to till today. Quarshie, Appiah and Ayareba denied the offences but the court at the end of the trial found all of them guilty and convicted them accordingly. Sentencing them, the trail judge said he took into consideration the grievous wounds they inflicted on Mr Richard Kwakye on his head, legs and hands. The court said it also considered the fact that after robbing the household, they committed other offences in other parts of the country. According to the Court, Nimako for example was involved a similar offence in Sunyani where he was arrested. Mrs Yvonne Attakora-Obuobisa told the Court that the complainants were Mr and Mrs Theresa Kwakye, a married couple, who live at Teshie Nungua. On January 2, 2006, at about 0930 hours, the married couple and their family sent their son at the Airport and returned home by their car. The prosecution said the car was driven by Mr Kwakye while his wife was seated in the front seat with their children seated at the back. Mrs Attakora-Obuobisa said when the couple reached their house, they saw all the convicts standing close to the gate except Ayareba. She said when Mr Kwakye tooted his car horns and the house girl opened the gate, five of the convicts armed with cutlasses and machetes attacked the couple and their family. Mrs Attakora-Obuobisa told the court that the convicts inflicted deep wounds on Mr Kwakye�s head, legs and hands and took away five mobile phones, GH 70,000 cedis and 60 dollars, which were in the car and absconded. She said a complaint was lodged to the Police and during investigations five of the convicts were rounded up, and Ayareba, who was also a houseboy to the couple, was also picked up. The prosecution said during further investigations, it came to light that it was Ayareba who led the other convicts to the house to rob the couple.