An Accra Circuit Court has acquitted and discharged a 39-year old driver held for pouring acid on a private security guard.

The suspect Peter Torvinyeku was charged for causing harm to one Aduko, an offence he pleaded not guilty to.

Justice Francis Obiri, pronouncing judgment said it was unclear, whether the suspect was the one who poured the acid on the complainant.

“What was clear is that the complainant has suffered an acid attack but who executed the act was still questionable,” he added.

He said prosecution witness in the case, who also suffered the acid attack, testified that the person he saw pouring the acid was one Samuel Obeng Gyasi.

The judge said in the accused person’s defence, he told the court that he was asleep when he heard the shout and came only to be accused of pouring acid on the complainant.

Deputy Superintendent of Police, (DSP) Ernest Acheampong told the court that the incident happened on August 8, 2013 at about 16 hours, when the victim was assigned to weed a parcel of land belonging to one of his supervisors at Okponglo, near Legon in Accra.

He said while Aduko was weeding the lawn, the suspect and one other, in a taxi, approached him and asked for his views on the days tele­cast proceedings of the election petition.

The Prosecution said the complainant retorted that they should leave him alone and let peace prevail in the country.

He said that the state­ment by Aduko did not go down well with Torvinyeku and his accomplice, who left the scene immediately with a taxi driven by Obeng.

He explained that, within a couple of hours, the accused and his accomplice , returned to the scene and alighted from the car, with Obeng holding a Milo tin, containing the substance suspected to be acid.

The two, according to DSP Ache­ampong, engaged Aduko in a heated argument, insisting that he must declare his stand on the election petition but Aduko asked them to leave the scene.

He said Aduko’s statement, provoked the accused, who then poured the acid in the container on him, saying that they would teach him a lesson.

The Prosecution said while shouting for help, Aduko, who was in severe pains, managed to grab Obeng’s trouser in an attempt to arrest him.

Due to the blinding effect of the acid which had been poured on Aduko’s face, Obeng managed to knock him down and run off after his accomplice Torvinyeku.

Some Good Samaritans, who were passing by, rushed the victim to the Po­lice Hospital where he was admitted for medical attention.

DSP Acheampong further told the court that Obeng’s voter Identification card, with number 2237038654, and a National Health Insurance identifica­tion card, with number 8800554, were later found at the scene, where they had dropped during the struggle.

Unfortunately for Torvinyeku, on June 11, 2014, Aduko spotted him in the Kwabenya area and quickly informed the police, leading to his arrest.