Driver gets three years for dangerous driving

Juaso (Ash), Jan. 29, GNA - The Juaso Circuit Court presided over by Justice Jacob Boon, sitting as an additional circuit court judge has sentenced a 32 year-old driver to three years imprisonment in hard labour for dangerous driving, leading to the death of one Gordon Owusu. Siaw Narteh pleaded guilty to two counts of dangerous driving and was convicted on his own plea.

Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Stephen Dobara, prosecuting told the court that Narteh was a professional driver and lived at Ashaiman.

On July 26, 2008, he was driving a Mercedez Benz fuel tanker with registration number GT 4006Y from Kumasi to Tema. The prosecutor said on reaching Boankra near Ejisu, the accused suddenly applied brakes, forcing the truck to veer into the lane of an inter-city STC bus from the opposite direction as he tried to avoid running into a vehicle ahead of him.

This resulted in a head-on collision with the bus causing severe injuries to Owusu and two others who were in the front seat of the bus. The injured were rushed to the Emena Hospital but Owusu was pronounced dead on arrival. The case was forwarded to the Attorney General's Department for advice, the response of which recommended that Narteh be charged with dangerous driving.