Court adjourns Lucas’ trial to July 23

An Accra High Court presided over by Justice Charles Ekow Baiden on Wednesday adjourned to July 23, the case of Lucas Agboyie, who is standing trial for allegedly defiling and causing the death of a seven-year-old girl in 2015 at Zenu, near Ashiaman.

This was when the accused Counsel, Mr Eric Opoku Brobbey, of the Legal Aid informed the Court that the Accra Psychiatric Hospital has requested to see a family of the accused person for his mental history.

He said it was to ensure that Agboyie was mentally fit to face trial as requested by the Court.

At the last adjourned date, the court heard that the report on the mental health of the accused by the Accra Psychiatric Hospital was ready and it would be forwarded to the Court.

Agboyie aka “Sympathy,” “Sky Lover,” Agbey or Gabriel was committed by an Accra District Court on April 2017, to stand trial at High Court for the alleged murder of the girl.

Briefing the Court, the Prosecution said the victim, Ruth Ankomah was a pupil of Meshach Academy School at Zenu, Ashiaman.

He said on April 2015, at about 0800 hours, the deceased mother prepared porridge and gave GH¢20.00 to the deceased to go and buy bread at a nearby shop for breakfast.

The Prosecution said having waited for some time, without Ruth’s return, the mother became alarmed and started searching for her in the area but to no avail.

Prosecution said later, one Sarah informed the victim’s mother that she saw Agboyie pulling the victim into his metal container.

He said a group of people joined her mother and they marched onto Agboyie’s container but could not find him.

He said, however, they found the naked lifeless body of the victim lying in a supine position on an old student mattress with blood oozing from her nostrils and mouth.

The Prosecution said Agboyie was nabbed by the search party where he confessed killing the victim after having sex with her for an hour.

He said Agboyie told investigators that he wanted to have sex with the victim but she kept screaming so he strangled her after which he had sex with her.

The Prosecution said when the Police visited the scene in April 2015, they saw bruises on the neck of the deceased with her vagina swollen, while her pants, sandals and dress were lying beside her.

He said they also found two wrappers of cannabis sativa, GH¢10.00, a National Health Insurance card and another Hospital card bearing the name of one Obeng Oscar.

He said Agboyie further mentioned one Ali Baba who lived nearby as the one who contracted him to kill the victim.

When the police proceeded to the house of Ali Baba, they found out that there was nobody in the house by that name and that the said house was occupied by a medical doctor.

He said the medical doctor upon interrogation denied knowing the accused and Police investigations also did not get any link of the murder with the doctor.

Prosecution said when autopsy was conducted on the victim, it indicated that the victim died as a result of strangulation.