Sales Asst. to Hang - Court Rules

An Accra High Court has sentenced a sales assistant of EMBC and Trading Company Limited to death by hanging, after a seven-member jury pronounced him guilty of murdering a Lebanese national, Mr. Tallal Bou Cheidid, his employer.

The court, presided over by Justice Yaw Apau, on Monday convicted Dereck George Mensah, at the close of the case between prosecution and defence counsel.

Dereck murdered his employer over salary arrears and Social Security and National Investment Trust (SSNIT) contributions.

The non-payment of the salary arrears and SSNIT contributions led to a misunderstanding between the accused and his employer, whom he had worked with for nine years.

Dereck broke into the deceased's house at Nima on November 24, 2000 and hid in the kitchen where he later in the night, after he had arrived home from work, confronted his employer over the issue of his salary arrears and SSNIT contributions.

Mr. Anthony Gyambiby, Principal State Attorney told the court that while Cheidid was trying to settle the issue between them, the accused hit his head several times with a blunt object, leading to his collapse.

As if that was not enough, the accused further stabbed the deceased with a bread knife several times, killing him instantly.

According to the prosecution, a post-mortem report conducted on the deceased indicated that, Tallal died as a result of bleeding in the brain.

The accused, after killing his employer, went to the deceased's shop at Tudu and opened the shop with a key he took from the house, and made away with various items and sums of monies and bolted to Kumasi in the Ashanti Region.

Dereck was then arrested upon a tip-off and was charged with murder when the police completed their investigations.