MURDER - Assistant headmaster before High Court

AN assistant headmaster of Taviefe Secondary School in the Ho District has been arraigned before the Ho High Court, charged with the alleged murder of his girlfriend.

John Kwami Akotia, who appeared before the court, presided over by Mr Justice Paul Gyaesaeyor, was alleged to have murdered his girlfriend, Florence Melody Dagbey, on December 18, 1998.

Prosecuting, Ms Patience Klinogo, a Principal State Attorney, said when relations between the accused and Florence became strained, she demanded a debt from her boyfriend without success.

When it became obvious to the deceased that her boyfriend was not going to honour his obligation, she seized some of his personal belongings.

The prosecution said the accused became offended and when his girlfriend visited him on that fateful day, he took an iron bar and hit the woman several times until she fell unconscious and died.

It said that the accused hid the dead body in his room and later tucked it into a fertiliser sack and dragged it to the school compound at dawn with the intention of burning it.

The prosecution said a watchman on duty at a nearby school confronted him and demanded to see the contents of the sack but Akotia was alleged to have said that the sack contained some items for the school.

According to the prosecution, the watchman followed at a distance but lost sight of the accused. He, therefore, went to the watchman of the secondary school and asked whether Akotia had brought some items to the school.

After his colleague replied in the negative, the two watchmen went together to trace the Akotia only to find him in the bush with the dead body of his girlfriend.

The prosecution said Akotia told the watchmen that the sack contained the body of his wife which he wanted to burn.

The matter was reported to the headmaster of the school who handed the accused over to the police.

Meanwhile, the metal club, petrol and sack used by Akotia have been retrieved during investigations.

Hearing continues tomorrow.