An Accra Circuit Court has sentenced 38-year-old Thomas Kwabena Vordzorgbe to six years in prison for robbing a Nigerian national of an Itelmobile phone valued at GH¢350.
The judgment was delivered by Her Honour Basilia Adjei-Tawiah after the accused was found guilty of robbery under Section 149 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29).
Vordzorgbe, who is unemployed and resides at Nungua Kings-Way, had pleaded not guilty to the charge at the start of the trial.
The case, which commenced on November 11, 2022, was initially presided over by His Lordship Isaac Oheneba Kuffour and later concluded by Her Honour Adjei-Tawiah.
The prosecution was first handled by Chief Inspector John Gohoho and subsequently taken over by Inspector Rosemond.
According to facts presented during the trial, the complainant, Blessing Nenya, a Nigerian national from Delta State and a resident of Nungua Cocoa Beach, was returning from a social outing near the Spintex area in the early hours of November 7, 2022.
At approximately 3:00 a.m., he arrived at the Shell Filling Station at Nungua to look for a taxi home. It was there that the accused reportedly began following him.
Court records indicate that Vordzorgbe approached the victim at the station and demanded his belongings. When Nenya refused to comply, the accused pulled out a machete and slashed him on the left hand, inflicting injury. He then grabbed the victim’s Itel phone and fled the scene.
Nenya later filed a complaint at the Nungua Police Station, where he was issued a medical form and received treatment for his injuries.
Later that same day, the victim was informed that someone was attempting to sell his stolen phone at the Nungua Lorry Station. With the assistance of others, he located and confronted the suspect, leading to Vordzorgbe’s arrest.
A search by the police confirmed that the stolen device was in his possession.
In his statement to the police, the accused admitted to committing the offence. Investigations were led by Detective Sergeant Simon Ndeog-Naab Migida, following which Vordzorgbe was charged and arraigned before the court.
