“I feel bad we hurt the man” – US lady who snatched a car from Bolt driver at Teshie

An American woman jailed for 10 years with hard labour by an Accra Circuit Court for car snatching says she feels bad that she and her fiancé hurt their victim.

Skylah Leeann Marine Travis in tears, apologising to the victim, said, “I did not mean to do that; I want to ask for forgiveness.”

The convict, unemployed, who was together incarcerated with her Liberian fiancé, Daniel Ireland, had her sentence deferred awaiting a pregnancy test.

However, the test came out negative, and she is to begin her jail term too.

Travis, pleading for mitigation, said she and her fiancé were not in their right frame of mind at the time the offence was committed, adding that they had come to Ghana for rehabilitation as they were on drugs.

She admitted conspiring with her lover to rob the victim and complainant, a Bolt driver, of his vehicle but denied stabbing him.

In addition, the two were ordered, each to pay GHC6,000.00 compensation to their victim by January 31, 2025.

Ireland, her accomplice and lover, was on January 15, 2025, sentenced to 10 years imprisonment in hard labour after pleading guilty to conspiracy, robbery, and causing harm (stabbing the convict).

Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), prosecuting, told the Court presided over by Mrs. Susanna Eduful that the complainant (name withheld) was a Bolt driver and resident of Ayi Mensah, Accra.

Ireland is a graphic designer and Travis is unemployed, both convicts.

He said Ireland was a fiancé to Travis and both lived at Teshie Malik, adding that on January 7, 2025, at about 0030 hours, they requested the services of the complainant to pick them up from Labadi Church of Pentecost headquarters to Teshie, which the complainant obliged.

The Court was told that the complainant in charge of Toyota Corolla S with the registration number WT 364-24 and on board the convicts, arrived at the residence of the convicts at Malik, a suburb of Teshie.

ASP Oppong said Ireland and Travis asked the complainant to wait for them to pick up their belongings into the vehicle to Madina, and whilst the complainant was in the vehicle waiting, Ireland suddenly pulled a knife at him and stabbed the complainant in the neck to surrender the vehicle.

The complainant struggled with Ireland and sustained severe injuries on his neck, both hands, left arm, and head, resulting in blood oozing profusely, the court was told.

The prosecution said the convicts succeeded in robbing the complainant of his vehicle valued at GH¢160,000.00, one iPhone 13 Pro Max valued at GH¢8,000.00, one Samsung S10 valued at GH¢ 2,950.00 and cash of GH¢1,000.00.

The complainant, who fell unconscious, was rescued by a passerby who rushed him to Teshie Glory Land Clinic and later transferred to the University of Ghana Medical Centre, where he was admitted, ASP Oppong told the Court.

He said the next day, the complainant was discharged and the matter was reported to the police. During the investigation, the Police visited the scene and detected that the convicts had packed most of their belongings in the rented room to an unknown destination.

However, the police retrieved Ireland and Travis’ passports and left a message with their landlady for them to report at the police station, the prosecution said.

ASP Oppong said on January 9, 2025, the convicts were arrested, leading to the retrieval of the vehicle in question at Kasoa Odeneho Hotel, where convicts after the incident went and lodged.

In their respective caution statements, they admitted the offences, and after investigation, they were charged with the offences and brought before the court.

Passing the sentence, the court considered the ages of the convicts, the fact that the convicts were first-time offenders, and the prayer that they were not in their right frame of mind as they were under the influence of drugs for which reason they had come to Ghana for rehabilitation.

The judge advised that after serving their jail term, they should get rehabilitated to get their lives back and contribute meaningfully to the development of their country.