A dispatch rider who pleaded for leniency after being found guilty of aiding and abetting a robbery in La, Accra, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Lord Mensah, who was convicted of abetment of crime, specifically robbery, stood before the court presided over by Isaac Addo.
Despite his appeal for forgiveness, citing his responsibilities as a first-time offender and his role as a father and husband, the judge handed down the sentence.
Chief Inspector Jonas Lawer, the prosecutor, successfully argued the case, proving beyond a reasonable doubt that Mensah had played a significant role in the robbery.
The court heard that Mensah had transported his accomplices, known as Nana, Black, Emma, and Malouda—who are still at large—on a motorcycle from Agbogbloshie to La, where they carried out the robbery.
The complainant, Rita Ruth Effie Arthur, a student at South La Estates, was accosted by Nana and Black, who threatened her with a jackknife and stole her two iPhones, valued at GH₵2,100.
Mensah then fled the scene with his accomplices but was later apprehended after a fall from the motorcycle led to his arrest.
In his plea for mitigation, Mensah asked the court to forgive him, expressing his desire to return home to care for his baby, wife, and family.
However, the judge, while acknowledging his status as a first-time offender, determined that a ten-year sentence was appropriate given the gravity of the crime.
The court also noted that Mensah had assisted the police in retrieving the stolen mobile phones but stressed that the need for deterrence in such crimes outweighed his plea for leniency.