Man who stabbed cousin over lady jailed five years for manslaughter

An Accra High Court has sentenced an unemployed man to five years imprisonment for manslaughter.

Godwin Kotey is said to have stabbed his cousin in the chest with a screwdriver following a heated argument over a lady on November 23, 2020, at a spot near Salaga Market in Accra.

Kotey was jailed after he pleaded guilty to the charge of manslaughter.

The accused person was, therefore, convicted and sentenced accordingly by the court presided over by Justice Lydia Osei Marfo.

“I have considered the circumstances of this case and I also believe that the proposal of a sentence of five years is reasonable. The accused is hereby sentenced to five years with hard labour. His rights under Article 42 (6) are considered,” the court said.

The court also referred to Section 239 (2) of Act 30.

Earlier, Kotey was held on a charge of murder. He was alleged to have intentionally caused the death of one Sackey Nii Okaijah Frederick through unlawful harm.

The accused person’s lawyer entered into plea bargaining negotiation with the Attorney General and changed his plea of not guilty to murder, and guilty to manslaughter.

Defence counsel quoted Section 239 (2) of Act 30 to support his prayer before the court.

The accused person’s lawyer told the court that a proposal was sent to the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) and the Attorney General.

According to the counsel, they received a report from the Attorney General and “we have agreed to five years and the same has been accepted by prosecution”.

The court, therefore, re-took the plea of Kotey on the charge of manslaughter.

The facts of the case as presented by Vivian Osei Tutu, Senior State Attorney, are that, the accused person was a married man residing at James Town, near Salaga market in Accra.

The prosecution said the deceased Frederick Nii Oko Sackey, was a cousin of the accused.

In June 2020, the accused, who was a married man asked the deceased to accommodate his girlfriend/ fiancee, Victoria Sabbah, in his abode since he could not bring her to live with his wife.

The prosecution said the accused person later became suspicious of the relationship between the deceased and his fiancee and accused the two of having an affair.

The allegation generated a series of confrontations, with the deceased asking the lady, Victoria Sabbah to leave his room.

The prosecution said in November 2020, the fiancee went back to the deceased to plead with him to accommodate her as she did not have anywhere to stay.

It said when the accused person realised that the deceased continued to accommodate his fiancée, he intensified his accusation and confronted him on the phone to return all the belongings of his fiancé to her.

On November 23, 2020, the accused person armed with a screwdriver went to Salaga market to look for and engaged the deceased in a heated argument.

The prosecution said during the fight, he pulled out the screwdriver, stabbed the deceased in the chest and bolted.

Bystanders pursued him and handed him over to the Police.

The prosecution said a pathologist at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital gave the cause of death as “perforated right ventricle from the stab injury to the chest”.

It said the accused person confessed to the crime in his caution statement.