A 35-year-old barber has been sentenced to 10 years of hard labor in prison after pleading guilty to two charges: threatening to kill and robbery.

James Awuni admitted to the charges, which are in violation of Section 75 and 149(1) of the Criminal Offences Act of 1960, Act 29.

His accomplice, Kwame Copper, is currently evading arrest.

On August 6, 2023, Awuni, using a Vodafone number (0500637074), called the wife of the Chief Executive of Obuasi Bitters and falsely claimed that he had been hired by someone to assassinate her husband.

Alarmed by the threat, the woman informed her husband, who then contacted the same number for verification.

Awuni informed the complainant that he was hesitant to carry out the contract, for reasons known only to him, and demanded an amount of GHS1,200 from the complainant, a request that Mr. Amoh (the husband) complied with.

The complainant reported the incident to the Police Intelligence Directorate after sending the money for investigation. Acting on intelligence, the directorate apprehended Awuni on September 27, 2023, at his hideout in Bebu, near Kumasi, in the Ashanti region.

Prosecutor ASP Stephen Ofori informed Her Honour Vida Yeboah in court on Friday, October 6, 2023, that Awuni mentioned Kwame Copper as an accomplice.

Awuni admitted guilt to the charges of threatening to kill and robbery and promised to reimburse the complainant for the money he had received when he appeared before the court on Monday, October 2, 2023.

He refunded an amount of GH1,200 on Friday before being sentenced to 10 years in prison. He received a 2-month sentence for threatening to kill and a 10-year sentence for robbery, with the two sentences running concurrently.

Presiding Judge, Her Honour Vida Yeboah, stated that the court considered the accused's repayment of the money before imposing the minimum prison sentence for robbery.