Crime & Punishment of Thursday, 14 January 2010

Source: GNA

Student bonded for threatening to kill a pastor

Kumasi, Jan. 14, GNA - A 20-year-old student of the Anagbazo Bible School in Accra, has been bonded by a Kumasi Circuit Court for six months to be of good behaviour or serve a one-year-jail term in hard labour.

George Somuah was accused of threatening to kill a senior pastor of the Apache Light House Chapel in Kumasi, Pastor Charles Amo, if he (pastor) failed to deposit GH¢500 into his bank account. He pleaded guilty to the charge and showed remorse when he appeared before the Court presided over by Mr Justice D.W.P Amedior. Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Doris Amewu told the Court that the complainant was a former lecturer of the Anagbazo Bible School, which made it possible for Somuah to obtain his cell phone number.

On January 3, this year, the student sent a text message to the pastor demanding that he deposited a cash of GH¢500 into his account number 1311010024849 at the Kasoa branch of the Ghana Commercial Bank, near Accra. He gave January 5, 2010 as deadline and threatened to attack and kill him if he missed the date. Frightened, Pastor Amo made a complaint to the police in Kumasi and investigations led to the arrest of Somuah in Accra. In his caution statement, he admitted the offence. In his ruling, the judge said he took into consideration the fact that the student accepted he acted wrongly and even directed the complainant to his residence where he was picked by the police.