The Circuit Court 8 in Accra, presided over by His Honour Jojo Amoah Hagan, has sentenced a refuse collector, Joshua Aminu, to 10 years imprisonment in hard labour for attempted robbery.
Aminu was convicted on two counts of attempted robbery, contrary to Sections 18(2) and 149 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29), as amended by Act 646 of 2003.
He pleaded guilty simpliciter to both charges.
The court handed down the sentence on Monday, noting that Aminu was a first-time offender. His Honour Hagan ordered that the sentences run concurrently, meaning Aminu will serve a total of 10 years behind bars. The convict also has the right to appeal the decision within 30 days.
The Offence
According to the prosecution, Inspector Nego Dzigbordi, the complainant, John Kiona, is a Scientist and Diplomat working with the U.S. Embassy and residing at Cantonments in Accra.
The accused, a rubbish collector, living at the Konkomba Market, committed the offences on September 26 and 28, 2025, around 5:30 p.m each day.
On the first occasion, Aminu attempted to rob Kiona of an iPhone 16 Pro Max valued at GH¢18,500, by threatening him with what appeared to be a gun. Two days later, he made another attempt to rob the same victim of an iPhone 8 worth GH¢1,650 – again using a toy gun.
During the confrontation, the complainant bravely held the accused’s hand and struggled with him until the supposed weapon broke apart, revealing it to be a toy gun. Aminu then fled the scene but was later arrested.
Police investigators later found a brown backpack in Aminu’s possession, containing two kitchen knives and the broken toy gun. The items were retained as exhibits.
After thorough investigations, Aminu was charged and subsequently arraigned before the Circuit Court, where he admitted to the offences.
The court described his actions as reckless and dangerous, stressing that even though the weapon was not real, the attempt could have caused severe psychological trauma to the victim.
