Man jailed 35 years for robbing filling station

A 30-year-old Libyan returnee, who robbed a filling station at a gun point with two others, now at large at Pobiman, near Amansaman last year was on Monday sentenced to 35 years imprisonment by an Accra Circuit Court.

Stephen Quarshie was charged with conspiracy to rob and robbery. He was exposed because he left a pair of sandals at the crime scene. Later, the other pair was found in his room when the police searched him.

He pleaded not guilty to the charges but at the end of the trial, the court presided over by Mr Francis Obiri found Quarshie guilty and convicted him to 20 years on the charge of conspiracy to rob and 35 years for robbery. Sentences were to run concurrently.

The court described Quarshie aka Fawaz Mamoud as a ‘’daring robber,’’ who conducted his operation during the day.

According to the court the issue of robbery has become a national one as such Quarshie should be handed a stiffer punishment to serve as deterrent to others.

In Quarshie’s statement to the Police, the court noted that he (Quarshie) had travelled to Libya where he bought the said gun used in the robbery.

According to Quarshie he used the said gun when things were becoming difficult for him, adding, he obtained GHc1,200 as his share of the booty.

The court commended the case investigator who took time to conduct his work professionally by verifying whether or not the gun used during the robbery was the same as the one retrieved under a sofa in Quarhsie’s room.

The case of prosecution is that the complainant, Mr Stephen Amponsah Yeboah, was the manager of Kpobiman Shell Filling station, which belonged to Real Impact Energy.

Prosecution said Quarshie, who was a taxi driver but now unemployed reside at Kuntunse near Amasaman. On June 8 last year, at about 1300 hours, Mr Yeboah and his staff were going about their business when Quarhsie in the company of two others suddenly attacked the filling station.

According to prosecution during their operation, Quarshie was armed with a gun while his accomplice had in their possession knives.

Amidst gun shots, Quarshie and his accomplices made away with cash in the sum of GHc 5,375 which they had snatched from the pump attendants and assorted phone cards valued at GHc950 after stabbing Janet Kanyelle, one of the attendants.

The convict and his accomplices left behind two empty shells, a black cap and a pair of sandals.

On July 4, last year, a detachment of Police personnel from Amasaman were detailed to arrest someone in a house at Kuntunse. However on arrival, Quarshie was heard informing someone to abscond as the Police were around.

Prosecution said the Policemen became suspicious and rounded him up and during a search in his room a sub-machine gun with six rounds of ammunition were retrieved.

Quarshie admitted owning the gun, the ammunition, a black cap and a pair of sandals found at the robbery scene adding he and two other robbed the complainant, the prosecutor said.

Source: GNA