Court orders accused to be sent for psychiatric check up

Mankranso (Ash), Nov 24, GNA - The Mankranso magistrate court has ordered a father to send his 21-year-old son, Thomas Poakwa standing trial for stealing to a psychiatric hospital to check on his mental condition.

The court said the report would enable it to determine the type of sentence to be pass on the accused.

The order followed the behaviour of Poakwa in court when he admonished people not to commit any offence that will sent them to prison custody in view of the dehumanising conditions prevailing in the prisons.

He said his warning was based on the experiences he had when he was remanded in custody for stealing just eight fingers of plantain at Pokukrom in the Ahafo-Ano South district by the same court. Poakwa, who is now standing trial for stealing a quantity of corn valued at 50,000 cedis, pleaded guilty to the charge.

However, the court, presided over by Mr Frank Owusu-Afriyie, ordered his father to send the accused to a psychiatric hospital for a check up.

He will re-appear on November 29.

Police Inspector Edwin Dei-Offei told the court that on September 1, this year, Mr Kwabena Bio, the complainant detected that part of the corn he had stored in a barn had been taken away. He said the complainant's search led him to a quantity of maize in a fertilizer bag hidden in the bush.

Inspector Dei-Offei said following this discovery the complainant organized some friends who laid ambush and at about 1930 hours the accused went and took the fertilizer bag of maize and when he was about to set off, the complainant and his friends emerged from their hideout, arrested and handed him over to the Pokukrom police. He said the police after investigations charged him with the offence.