An Accra Circuit Court has sentenced a refuse collector to 10 years in prison for using a toy gun in an attempt to rob a U.S. diplomat of his phones at Cantonments.
The convict, Joshua Aminu, was charged with two counts of attempting to commit robbery and pleaded guilty to both.
The court, presided over by Mr. Jojo Hagan, handed him a 10-year jail term on each count, to run concurrently.
Although Aminu pleaded for leniency, the court noted that the punishment was necessary to deter others, given the rising cases of robbery across the country.
He has 30 days to appeal the sentence.
According to the prosecution, the complainant, Mr. John Kiona, a scientist and diplomat with the United States Embassy, resides at Cantonments, while Aminu lives near the Konkomba Market area.
On September 26, around 5:00 p.m., Mr. Kiona was taking a walk near the American Embassy enclave when Aminu approached him and demanded his belongings, an iPhone 16 Pro Max valued at GH¢18,500 and an iPhone 8.
A struggle ensued when the diplomat grabbed Aminu’s hand and the gun, which broke during the scuffle, revealing it was a toy.
Aminu fled the scene but was later arrested after Mr. Kiona alerted nearby security personnel.
A search of Aminu’s brown backpack uncovered two kitchen knives.
The broken toy gun and knives were handed over to the police as evidence.
