Achimota student jailed over manslaughter appeals

The Achimota Student who was jailed three years by a Juvenile Court for shooting his friend Lily Asibete to death at Tema has appealed against his sentence.

The student, according to court processes, held that the sentence of the Juvenile Court was harsh hence the appeal.

When the matter was called at an Accra High Court, presided over by Mr Justice J. K. Dorgu, an Attorney from the Attorney’s General Department told the court that they have not been served with the court processes.

The matter was therefore adjourned to December 12.

The 17-year-old boy was jailed on the charge of manslaughter.

He shot his friend, Lilly Asibetse to death when she visited him at his residence at Tema.

The juvenile court this year, found the accused guilty and handed down the jail term which he was to spend in a Correctional Home following a seven month trial.

The convict is said to have gone for his father’s gun under his bed with the intention of firing into the air, but ended up killing his friend, a third-year student of Achimota School.

The facts as narrated by the Prosecution then was that at about 2pm on 4 January 2017, the deceased, who lived at Cantonments, visited the accused at Community 8 in Tema. While there, the convict went to his father's room and picked up his single-barrelled gun and shot the victim in the abdomen.

During interrogation the accused told the police that he had intended shooting into the air, but the bullet changed course and hit the deceased.

Gifty Billy, a neighbour who heard the gunshot and went to the scene saw the victim lying in a pool of blood.

Ms Billy said she rushed the deceased to the Port Clinic at Tema. However, due to the condition of the victim, she was transferred to the 37 Military Hospital in Accra, where she died on admission.