By Grace Zigah
Three individuals including 22-year-old girl have been sentenced to 19 years in prison after a Ho Circuit Court found them guilty of conspiracy and armed robbery in connection with a calculated attack on a 21-year-old victim in the Ho Central Market.
The convicts—Mercy Sokpe, 22; Atsu Kamasa, 25; and Godfred Dzidonu, 19—were handed their sentences on Friday, May 9, 2025, by Osman Abdul-Hakeem, who presided over the case.
According to the Volta Regional Police Public Affairs Unit, the incident occurred on May 4, 2025, at approximately 4:30 p.m. when the trio executed a premeditated plan to rob Elijah Torgbedzi of his iPhone 6s, valued at GH¢700.
Sokpe, posing as a friendly stranger, approached Torgbedzi and requested to borrow his phone to take a selfie.
The unsuspecting victim agreed, only for Sokpe to signal her accomplices, Kamasa and Dzidonu, who emerged and attacked the complainant using scissors as a weapon before all three fled with the device.
The commotion drew attention from bystanders, leading to the immediate apprehension of Dzidonu, who was caught in possession of the stolen phone.
He was handed over to the police.
Subsequent investigations led police to the hideouts of Sokpe and Kamasa, both of whom were arrested in Ho.
On May 9, all three suspects were brought before the Ho Circuit Court.
They pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit robbery and robbery.
The court sentenced each of them to three years imprisonment for conspiracy.
Additionally, Kamasa and Dzidonu received five-year sentence each for robbery, bringing their total sentences to eight years each.
Sokpe, who did not physically carry out the attack but facilitated the theft, will serve three years.
The Ghana Police Service has since advised the public to remain vigilant, particularly when approached by strangers under the guise of seeking assistance.
