Businessman appears in court for assault

Ejisu (Ash), Aug 18, GNA - The Ejisu magistrate court on Monday fined a 36-year-old businessman, 800,000 cedis for assaulting a retired security officer.

William Owusu alias Paa Willie, who pleaded guilty to the charge will serve a one-year jail sentence in default. The court ordered that 500,000 cedis out of the fine, when paid, be given to the victim.

Prosecuting, Chief Inspector A.K. Danquah told the court, presided over by Mr Adutwum Mmorosa that on June 19, this year, the complainant, Mr Philip Okyere, a retired officer of the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) visited his son, Johnson Okyere who is a pastor of the SDA Church at Dannso near Asisriwa.

He said the following day, while the complainant was relaxing at the Mission house, Owusu, his mother, a woman and two men passed through the Mission house to the bush nearby.

Chief Inspector Danquah said, while returning from the bush, the accused who was furious on reaching where the complainant was relaxing violently pushed the complainant down and hit his hand on a concrete block.

He said this did not satisfy Owusu as he pounced on the complainant who was still lying on the ground and assaulted him but the timely intervention by the Owusu's brother, one Tweneboa, saved the situation. The prosecution said following the assault, the complainant was rushed to the Asiwa hospital after reporting to the police, where he was issued with a medical report form.

Chief Inspector Danquah said based on the medical report, the accused was arrested and that during police investigations, it came to light that the rude behaviour of Owusu stemmed from the fact that there was a land litigation between his (accused) mother and the SDA Church. He said the accused suspected Pastor Okyere to be the brain behind the litigation hence the assault on his father, who he mistook for the pastor.