The lawyer for Yaw Asante Agyekum, a mechanic recently acquitted after serving 23 years in prison, has alleged that the police tortured notorious armed robber, Ataa Ayi, and another accused person to extract false confessions to implicate his client.
According to George Bernard Shaw, counsel for Agyekum, the coerced confessions formed the basis for his client's conviction in 2010, for conspiracy to commit murder and involvement in a robbery syndicate led by Ataa Ayi.
Agyekum was sentenced to 35 years after being linked to the gang, while Ataa Ayi was handed a 160-year sentence for a series of robberies that terrorised residents in Accra in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
However, on June 5, 2025, the Court of Appeal overturned Agyekum's conviction, citing insufficient evidence and lack of legal representation during his trial.
