My advice touched the Judge to reduce my sentence

47-year-old Richard Nyarko was sentenced to thirty-five years imprisonment in 1997 by a Circuit Court in Somanya for robbery after he aided a policeman to snatch a saloon car.

Nyarko, who had appealed his sentence severally but failed, fortunately had it reduced by ten years by the Court of Appeal after one of the Panel judges recalled his advice to the youth when he granted an interview on ‘Time with the Prisoner’ on Crime Check TV.

Speaking to crimecheckghana, the ex-convict who was then about twenty-two years when he was convicted, said he became acquainted to a policeman who he had admired whiles he was a ‘trotro’ driver at Ashaiman. He indicated that the police officer whom he respected so much took advantage of his vulnerability and asked him to accompany him to sell his car at Somanya- a vehicle which he was going to snatch.

Nyarko said when they got to Somanya, the police constable with his girlfriend took him to a drinking spot where they met the owner of a saloon car. He claimed that as they were drinking, the car owner after some sips got dizzy and slept, a development which he suspected was induced by a substance which the policeman’s girlfriend added to his drink. Nyarko said, just after that, the police man asked him to affix a DV number plate on the car and they took off to a place near the residency of the District Chief Executive where they met an Assembly who was supposed to buy the car.

His arrest

The former ‘trotro’ driver said, whiles the Assemblyman had met them to buy the car, the District Chief Executive of the area spotted them from his home and been suspicious, he confronted them about where they got the car because of its registration. He said when the policeman realized he was getting into trouble, he vanished into thin air and only the smock he wore and his ID card were found. Nyarko said he was unlucky as he was caught by a mob who subjected him to merciless beatings and nearly burnt him when he also tried to escape.

“When the DCE came out boldly to confront us, he queried the policeman why he did not report to the police station when he arrived in the town in accordance with the rules of the police service. To my shock, the policeman disappeared from our midst and the smock he wore and his ID card fell down when the confrontation got heated. I was fortunate because a police car which was on patrol in the area came to my rescue if not the mob would have burnt me.” He said.

Nyarko said he was charged for robbery by the Somanya Circuit Court and he pleaded guilty to the charge because his life was threatened in the community and to be safe, he had to go to prison. The court, he said sentenced him to thirty-five years imprisonment at the Nsawam Medium Prison which initially did not bother him until he got to prison and started experiencing the torturous prison life.

He said that the policeman was later found in his uncle’s house in Ho in the Volta Region where he was arrested.

“I did not waste time at all to plead guilty to the charges because I felt that the mob will be looking for me to harm me and the best option to save my life was to be in prison.” He said.

The regretful ex-convict said he started appealing at the court but failed until he managed to go to the Appeals Court where he luckily had his sentence reduced by ten years.

Nyarko has finished serving his sentence and met his family at Somanya amid mixed emotions.ms