A notorious armed robber and ex-convict, Prince Adu alias Dracula, has been sentenced again to 39-years imprisonment in hard labour for robbery and rape.

The 27-year-old who was charged for robbery and rape admitted to the charges and was convicted on his own plea for his involvement in two separate robbery incidents in the Ho Municipality.

The Court, sentenced him to 21 and 18 years for the robbery incidents, summing up to 39 years with the sentences to run concurrently.

Background to the case

At the hearing, Chief Inspector Stephen Atidzon told the Court presided over by Mr. Felix Datsomor that, Dracula attacked an Immigration officer around KK House traffic light when he was traveling to Accra for duties and threatened him with a dummy corked gun on February 18, this year.

According to the prosecution, Dracula then collected the officer’s bag containing his service ID Card, Ghana Card, ADB ATM Card, NHIS Card, Nokia5 mobile phone valued at Gh¢580.00, and cash of Gh¢410.00.

Following the incident, the said officer then reported the incident to the Police and upon intelligence, Dracula was arrested on the same day by the Ho District Police at his hideout at Bentotal, Ho.

The prosecution stated further that an amount of GH¢392.00 was found on him, and all the items belonging to the Immigration officer were also retrieved from his room upon arrest.

A dummy corked gun, two jackknives, and the dress the convict used to commit the crime were also found in his room, the prosecution added.

During the investigation, the suspect admitted to committing the crimes but asked for leniency.

Earlier complaints

Police Inspector Patience Kuade, narrated that complainants (names withheld) are students of the Ho Technical University and are roommates at Queens Hostel, near the school.

She said Dracula and his accomplice, one Emmanuel Courage Banitsi who is already serving a 33 years jail term, armed with machetes and crowbar broke into the room of the complainants at 0200 hours, while they were asleep and took them hostage at about on October 12, 2019.

The convicts ordered the victims not to shout or get killed, to which they complied.

The prosecution said the convicts then told the complainants to hand over their belongings and also disclose the pin codes of their mobile money accounts.

The Court heard that, after succeeding in collecting the belongings of the complainants and having access to their mobile money accounts, the convicts went on to forcibly have sex with the victims.

Inspector Kuade said, the case was reported to the Police and the victims were issued medical report forms to attend hospital.

The prosecution said about 0400 hours on the same night, the convicts went to a mobile money merchant, who is a witness in the case, to withdraw GH¢80.00 from one of the complainant’s accounts.

Arrest of the suspects

Inspector Kuade told the Court that with the assistance of the mobile money merchant, Emmanuel Courage Banitsi was arrested on October 18, 2019, where he confessed to conspiring with Dracula to commit the crime and was convicted accordingly.

Inspector Kuade said Police upon intelligence arrested Dracula from his hideout on February 18.