Crime & Punishment of Monday, 2 March 2009

Source: GNA

Two farmers remanded for attempting to kill driver's mate

Juaso (Ash), March 2, GNA - The Juaso Circuit Court in the Ashanti Region has remanded two farmers of Kyekyebiase into prison custody for allegedly threatening to kill Mr Kwaku Michael, a driver's mate. Kwaku Ofori and Kwadwo Frimpong, (alias) Elijah), pleaded not guilty and would reappear before the court today, March 2, 2009.

Prosecuting, Police Inspector E. K. Atatsi, told the court presided over by Justice Jacob Boon, a high court judge who sat as an additional Circuit Court Judge, that the complainant was a driver's mate while the accused persons were farmers who lived in the same town. He said the Saviour Church at Asante Akyem has been divided into two namely; Abraham and Elia factions; with each faction claiming ownership of the church.

Inspector Atatsi told the court that on February 13, 2009, when the first accused, Kwaku Ofori, who belonged to the Abraham faction, got to know that the Elia faction had been duly registered at the Registrar- General's Department, he became offended. He said on February 15, 2009 at around 2300 hours, Kwaku Ofori, armed with a shot gun, moved to the complainant's house and threatened to kill him. The prosecution said Ofori fired the gun but missed him narrowly. The complainant, consequently, raised the alarm and attracted some witnesses to the scene, who tried to disarm Ofori.

Inspector Atatsi said when the second accused person heard that the first accused who is his faction member, had been attacked at the complainant's house, he also took his shot gun, rushed to the spot and started firing to prevent witnesses from disarming Ofori. The Prosecution said the witnesses managed to disarm the two accused persons and handed them over together with the guns to the police, and they were arraigned before the court.