Broken hearted convict destroys court’s property

The Ashaiman Circuit Court has sentenced a 30 year old professional teacher to a fine of 7,800 Ghana Cedis for damaging government  (court) property or in default spend sixty months in prison.        Richard Opoku Adjei, who was on the 9th of May 2017 sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for robbery, was in police cells awaiting a transfer warrant.

The Prosecuting Officer, Chief Inspector Yaya Salifu told the court presided over by Mr. Gabriel Mate-Teye, that the accused opened the T&J ceiling in the cell and crawled through to the corridor where he forced about 8 pieces of the plastic ceiling to fall.      

He said Adjei, who was without a legal representation (lawyer), was apprehended and brought to court charged for causing damage to government property and escaping from lawful custody.     

The accused person pleaded guilty for causing damage to the court property but did not plead guilty for escaping from lawful custody.    

Adjei told the court that, “I was broken hearted for the 10-year-jail term slammed on me for robbery and was looking for bare wire in the ceiling to commit suicide.”        

The trial judge Mr. Gabriel Mate-Teye adjourned the case to June 15th 2017 for his verdict on the count of escaping from lawful custody.