Crime & Punishment of Thursday, 5 May 2005

Source: GNA

Policeman who shot engineer is remanded

Sunyani, May 05, GNA - Ben Azagisnaba, the police lance corporal who shot and killed John Tereku, a 43-year-old engineer in Sunyani last week, was on Thursday was arraigned before a High Court in Sunyani. The court, presided by Mr Justice L. L. Mensah, remanded him and he will re-appear on May 11.

No charge was preferred against him and Mr. William Pobbie, Chief State Attorney, prosecuting, explained that since investigations were going on it was proper that the suspect was brought before the court. Mr Pobbie recalled that the suspect shot and killed Tereku at the Catering Rest House in Sunyani in a police operation. An informant had told the police that Tereku was an armed robber.

Counsel for the suspect, Mr. Otoo Essel, pleaded with the court to grant him bail since no charge had been preferred against his client. In another development Mr Maxwell Oti Yeboah, the Managing Director of Oti Yeboah Wood Complex Limited, has denied the allegation that the deceased was an armed robber.

He told Ghana News Agency on Thursday that the late Tereku was a Swiss-trained mechanical engineer who did consultancy services for his timber firm.