The Tema Magistrate Court has threatened to acquit and discharge Abraham Kwame Oyoko Baah, the 27-year-old auto-electrician who is standing trial for allegedly murdering Rosemond Nyampong, a 32- year-old staff of the Stanbic Bank who was killed in her residence at Baatsona, off the Spintex Road, Accra, last year.
For the fourth consecutive time, the court had adjourned the first degree felony case as a result of the absence from court of the accused person and the complainant in the matter.
The absence of the accused was attributed to lack of transportation to convey him from the remand prison to the court to defend himself. But since the release of the deceased’s car to him, the complainant is said to have failed to appear before the court to assist in the trial.
The investigator in the case was said to be paying for the transportation of the accused from the Nsawam Medium Prisons to the court since the inception of the case; but has refused to continue with that practice.
According to information gathered by the DAILY GUIDE, a ‘Black Maria’ – the only police vehicle which conveys accused persons from police cells to prison custody and vice versa in the Tema Region – had developed some fault and had been abandoned for almost four months now because an amount of GH¢600 could not be made available for the repair of the vehicle.
Unconfirmed reports indicated that the Tema Regional police was considering auctioning the vehicle.
This was the second case to be halted in the Tema TDC Magistrate Court for the same reason within a week as Mr. Eric Adjei, the Magistrate, feared more would follow, unless something was done about it.
While Abraham is still in prison custody, the prosecution said they were waiting for advice on the case from the Attorney General’s Department.
Rosemond Nyampong was murdered on November 21, 2013.
Police intelligence later discovered the deceased’s Toyota Yaris saloon car at a washing bay at Odumasi Krobo in the Lower Manya Krobo District of the Eastern Region, being driven by Abraham and he was immediately apprehended.
Also other items – a home theatre, plasma television set and cell phones - belonging to the late Ms. Nyampong, were found in Abraham’s room.
He was interrogated and during his third appearance at the court, he admitted killing the deceased singlehandedly.