Four jailed for acid attack

A PHARMACY technician who, out of sheer jealousy, hired a gang of three men to pour acid on a co-worker has been made to face the full rigours of the law.

The accused person, Portia Naa Merlet Ashley, and her gang were on Friday sentenced to a total of 17 years’ imprisonment in hard labour, at an Accra circuit court, for seriously causing harm to Agnes Fiona Aviam, a young lady of about 26 years.

Agnes sustained injuries around her neck, chest and breast which she would need a plastic surgery to correct the scars.

Portia and the two members of the group, made up of Sumaila Yakubu and Adamu Karim, were slapped with five, three and two-year jail terms respectively after the trial judge found them guilty of charges of conspiracy, abetment of crime and causing harm.

The leader of the group, one Alhaji who went underground after the incident, was sentenced in absentia to seven years. Meanwhile, Harriet Owusu, one of the accused, was acquitted and discharged.

Judge D.E.K. Daketsey, who was convinced by the prosecution’s case that the accused persons committed the diabolic act, described Portia as a great schemer with the mind of a genius but used it deviously.

According to him, out of the evidence before him, he noticed that Agnes, who had worked for only one month with Portia, did not offend her in anyway to warrant such intentions.

He observed that if not for the spectacles the victim wore that fateful day, her eyes would have been damaged, adding that he took into consideration the fact that Portia was a single mother of a 10-year-old child, thus giving her a lenient sentence.

He however warned workers who parade themselves as “Me bae ha akye”, aka MBA, a local term for people who have stayed longer at a workplace, to be careful of such behaviours because it could one day lead them into trouble.

Facts in court, as presented by ASP Agyemang, indicated that both Portia and Agnes work at Avis Chemist at Dworwulu as pharmacy technicians and that since Agnes was employed, Portia took offence because she saw Agnes’s presence at the shop as a threat to her position.

On June 22, 2009, Portia approached Harriet and asked her to recruit some men from Nima to harm Agnes so that she would stop coming to the work.

Harriet, according to the facts, then called Sumaila and Alhaji to carry out the diabolic plan for a fee of GH¢100, which Portia paid immediately.

On that day, Portia engaged the services of Adamu, a driver in charge of Opel Astra Taxi cab with registration number GT 381Y and asked him to drive them to her office where she pointed out Agnes to the gang.

On June 27, at about 9:30 pm, the group went to the shop and met Portia from a distance who gave them acid to be poured on the complainant.

Portia then monitored the complainant’s activities and as Agnes closed from work and was on her way home, Portia signaled the others on phone, ordering them to trail her.

As they got closer to her, Sumaila and Alhaji poured the acid on her, after which Adamu sped off.

However, luck eluded them and as they were on their way from the scene, some of the acid in a bottle poured on one of them, making him also sustain injuries.

They were subsequently arrested when they were sending him to the hospital for treatment.