The Koforidua Circuit Court yesterday sentenced three people to eight years’ imprisonment with hard labour for stealing an AK47 assault rifle from a police officer stationed at Asesewa in the Eastern Region and selling it for Gh¢1, 000 in September this year.
They are Kofi Osakonor, 24, a farmer; Isaac Agyemang, 19, a mason apprentice and Sarkodie Solomon, 20, a barbering apprentice.
The trio were convicted on their own plea of guilty to the charges of conspiracy to commit crime, to wit stealing, stealing and dishonestly receiving.
One of the convicts, Isaac Agyemang pleaded with the judge, Madam Mercy Addei Kotei, to temper justice with mercy and consider them as her children who have sinned and as first time offenders.
Prosecuting, Cyril Boateng Keteku, an Assistant State Attorney, had told the court that the convicts conspired and stole the AK47 riffle plus 20 rounds of ammunition from a BMW private car belonging to Lance Corporal Roland Agbovi which was parked at Alema Preparatory School compound at Asesewa.
He said the police officer was expected to be on guard duties at the residence of the District Chief Executive on the fateful night of September 3, 2019 but had to go home to take a rest.
According to him, Lance Corporal Roland Agbovi was arrested the following day after failing to account for the riffle and ammunition.
The prosecutor furthered told the court that intelligence picked up by the Asesewa District Police Command led to the arrest of the three who during interrogations admitted the offence.
Thethree convicts had explained that on the day at about 10 p.m. they came across the BMW car whose doors were unlocked with the inside light on.
Upon seeing the rifle, the convicts conspired and stole it from the car and kept it with one Solomon Sarkodie while they searched for a buyer.
He added that on September 20, 2019, the convicts conveyed the rifle and 20 ammunition in a travelling bag to Somanya and gave it to Kwashievi also known as Gosholo now at large.
The court heard that Kwashevi test-fired the rifle after which he handed it over including 17 ammunition to the buyer identified as Wallace also at Large who paid Ghc¢1, 000 to the three convicts who shared the amount and returned to Asesewa.
Somanya District Police intelligence led to the retrieval of the AK47 rifle and 17 rounds of ammunition from a bush along the Somanya-Aperede road where Wallace reportedly kept it in a bamboo grove.
