Human rights lawyer and Member of Parliament for Madina Constituency, Francis-Xavier Sosu, has declared his intention to appeal the case of a man who was recently handed a five-year jail term for vandalising some cars on the premises of Parliament.
According to the MP, the case of Christopher Kofi Kyere Sorkpa, who was arrested together with another suspect on December 18, 2024, for going on a rampage on the compound of Parliament, is similar to the case of a man who was jailed 10 years for entering a church where then-President John Mahama was worshipping with a gun.
"This matter is similar to what happened sometime in 2015 involving one Charles Antwi. How can someone in his right senses walk to Parliament and decide to smash windows of cars because he claimed 'God asked him to do so?' Such a person, when arrested, should first have been medically examined to ascertain his mental state before being arraigned before court," the MP wrote on X on Monday, December 23, 2024.
The private legal practitioner raised concerns about the possibility of a mentally unfit person pleading guilty and not having legal representation in such a case.
He thus declared his decision to take up Sorkpa's case, attributing his sentence to a failure of the justice system.
"A person who is not compos mentis cannot plead to an offence, much less plead guilty. This is more so when he did not have any lawyer in court. I have decided to take up this matter as a public interest case because this is another failure of our justice system," he wrote.
An Accra High Court recently sentenced Christopher Kofi Kyere Sorkpa to five years imprisonment for causing damage to some vehicles at Parliament.
According to a 3news.com report, the prosecution charged the 33-year-old, the first accused, with six counts of offences, including conspiracy to commit unlawful damage.
During a court hearing on Friday, December 20, 2024, Sorkpa pleaded guilty to all the charges against him, which influenced the presiding judge, Samuel Bright Asiedu's decision to convict him.
Another accused, Wisdom Ahli, was remanded into police custody by the court for his involvement in the vandalism that took place at Parliament.
The case was adjourned to January 9, 2025, for the charges against the second accused to be re-examined.
About the vandalism in Parliament
There was drama at the precincts of the Parliament of Ghana on Wednesday, December 18, 2024, when a man went on a rampage, destroying the vehicles of some Members of Parliament with an axe.
According to reports gathered by GhanaWeb, the man, who claimed he was 'sent by God,' concealed an axe under his jalabia—a long white garment mostly worn by Arabs or Muslims.
Eyewitnesses indicated that he posed as a preacher as he entered the walls of Parliament and, after gaining access, started smashing the vehicles with the axe.
He managed to damage at least four vehicles, reportedly belonging to some legislators, before being apprehended.
Security officials at the Parliament House were forced to fire warning shots before arresting the man, some reports said.
Another man believed to be an accomplice was also arrested.
Just In; Man apprehended for vandalising cars at the Parliament House of Ghana.
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