Accused Caught Between A Rock And A Hard Plaice

Sunyani (Brong Ahafo), 12 Nov., An accused person who created pandemonium at the premises of the Sunyani court when he took to his heels to escape arrest for breach of bail yesterday, was forced to surrender himself to the police when he was confronted with a more menacing option. About 150 metres into his flight, a group of young men from a nearby carpentry shop in response to the alarm raised by a pursuing policeman suddenly emerged in front of him wielding deadly implements and dared him to come forward. The accused person, Kwaku Manu, realising the danger ahead, weighed the options of running through the "human wall" of young men, wielding saws, hammers and pinch bars and surrender. He decided that handing himself over to the police was safer. He stopped in his tracks, turned to the Police Constable Anthony Akuntu, who had closed in on him and asked to be treated gently because he was not running away but was only looking for a place to urinate. A police source told newsmen today that Manu was arrested sometime ago for allegedly stealing a chainsaw. The source said Manu was arraigned at the Sunyani Circuit Court and granted bail but a bench warrant had to be issued later for his arrest when he persistently failed to reappear before the court as required. Manu, who hails from a village near Chiraa in the Sunyani District, was spotted on the court premises yesterday but took to his heels when he was approached by the police. He succeeded in putting a respectable distance between him and the policeman but had to stop when faced by the intimidating young men.