47-year-old ex-convict, Richard Nyarko was jailed thirty-five years to the Nsawam Medium Security Prison for robbery.
Nyarko who, at the time of his conviction, was about twenty-two years old, fortunately had ten years of his sentence slashed by the Court of Appeal after two failed appeals.
This, the former ‘trotro’ driver said was as a result of the effort of Crime Check Foundation, then ‘Time With the Prisoner’ when he granted an interview on the programme which seeks to promote the welfare of petty-offenders and ex-convicts. He said during the interview, he admonished the youth and youngsters not to make the mistakes he did when he ignorantly abetted a policeman to snatch someone’s car and sell.
The regretful ex-convict told crimecheckghana, that an Appeals Court judge, among his three colleagues who were determined to dismiss his appeal for a third time after he appealed at two different courts, made him out, saying he watched him grant an interview on ‘Time With the Prisoner’ and his advice to the youth touched him.
“When I was going to the Appeals Court, I knew my case would be thrown out again but I just had to go. When my hopes were dashed, one of the judges recalled watching me on ‘Time With the Prisoner’ and with my afro hair he noticed me and asked if I was the same person. That was when I got a bit relieved and to God’s Glory their judgement was not to dismiss my case but to reduce it by ten years. At least that was better than serving a whole thirty-five years in prison.” He said.
He added that “I advised the youth to desist from fraudulent activities that will land them into trouble. I regret for indulging into the act that has led me to prison.”
“I just left prison and life has not been easy. I don’t have a wife and I don’t have children so I am now going to start life anew which gives me headache.” He bemoaned.
Crime Check Foundation’s ‘Time With the Prisoner’ programme, is a platform used to interview prison inmates to advice the public on the consequences of crime.
