Man recounts fatal assault

A young man, who was assaulted some two years ago by his neighbour, has been telling Accra FM the ordeal he went through and how the circumstances of that day have altered his daily existence.

Using the pseudonym Danso, the victim revealed to Chief Jerry Forson on Ghana Yensom on Monday April 18, scars from the injuries he sustained, notably a large gash running across the back of his head, as well as scars on his cheeks and ribs.

Danso revealed that in 2014, he was in the company of three others at a location on the Spintex Road when he was approached by his neighbour Kofi Teye Addy, who claimed he had heard one of them mention his name, a voice he believed was Danso’s.

Wielding a piece of wood into which were driven some three-inch-thick nails, the attacker approached his victim menacingly amidst threats to kill him. According to Danso, Addy chased away his (Danso’s) friends, who tried to disarm him (Addy), leaving only the two of them at the scene of the attack.

He said he could not escape as he had been caught between the assailant and a concrete wall and as he turned to scale the wall, he was clubbed down by Addy, who repeatedly struck the pointed ends of the club against his head.

Danso disclosed further that Addy drove the sharp ends of the club into his cheeks, ribs, and waist, with the latter bolting away in his vehicle when a group of men, who saw the attack tried advancing on him.

Bleeding heavily and half-conscious, he was rushed to the LEKMA hospital, and later to the 37 Military, and Ridge Hospitals before he ended up finally on admission at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.

Danso disclosed that three months after the assault, during which he underwent treatment at Ghana’s premier hospital, the costs of which were largely borne by his relatives abroad, Addy re-emerged, upon hearing that he (Danso) had died.

Danso said Addy had been advised to see the police and pick up the costs of his funeral and burial to avoid being arrested.

But Addy was arrested when he arrived at Korle-Bu, ostensibly to see the body of his victim, and was offered bail after two days of detention with the assistance of a police officer.

He was made to pay the remainder of Danso’s medical bills, to the tune of GHS3,500, and gave his victim some money to travel to his hometown to visit his relatives.

He said some officers at the Sakumono Police Station were reluctant to prosecute Addy until the matter was reported to some senior police officers, who directed that investigations be conducted and prosecution carried out.

The case is currently at the Accra High Court with the next sitting scheduled for Wednesday April 27.

Danso revealed he had been rendered incapacitated as a carpenter since the event, while he had suffered several body injuries, which had left him walking with severe pain in his joints.