Two Sentenced To Death For Murder

Accra (Greater Accra) 18 Nov.

An Accra High Court on Monday sentenced Raymond Kofi Begah, an engineer of Ashanti Goldfields Company (AGC), and Charlotte Esi Barnes, a teacher, to death by hanging after finding them guilty of Murder. A seven-member jury had to retire twice before it could return a guilty verdict on the two. Begah and Charlotte pleaded not guilty to two counts of conspiracy and murder of Lena Abla Hoheaku, a student nurse of Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, on July 23, 1990. When the jury first retired and came back, it could not give a verdict, saying that the evidence did not show any of the accused cause harm to the deceased. The court, presided over by Mr. Justice R. K. Apaloo, reminded the Jury that the trial of the accused was based on circumstancial evidence instead of direct evidence. The court directed the jury to study the circumstancial evidence whether it was against the accused or not and come out with its verdict. The Jury then retired, came back and pronounced a unanimous verdict of guilty on the accused. The court accordingly sentenced Begah and Charlotte to the mandatory punishment of death by hanging. The prosecution told the court that before July 22, 1990 Mr. Martin Awuku Ahome, an accountant at the AGC, was the boy-friend of Charlotte who was staying at Obuasi and later transferred to Dunkwa-On-Offin. The prosecution said Mr. Ahome gave Begah a duplicate key of his rooms at the AGC staff quarters as sign of the friendly relations existing between them. The prosecution said on July 22, Charlotte arrived at Obuasi from Dunkwa-On-Offin and went to Mr.. Ahome and met Begah and the deceased who had then come on a visit from Kumasi. The prosecution said the deceased, who was Mr.. Ahome's girl friend, prepared food which all of them ate after which Charlotte left for her home at Obuasi. The following day, Mr.. Ahome left the decease at home and went to the office to ask permission to drive her back to Kumasi. The prosecution said when Mr.. Ahome came back from the office, he found Lena hanging in her room with a piece of cloth gagging her and her two hands tied behind her. Mr.. Ahome reported the matter to the police who, through their investigations, found broken bottles in the kitchen. The prosecution said on the same day of the incident, Charlotte reported at the Obuasi Hospital with a cut on her toe. Police investigations also showed that Charlotte before the incident, had confronted Mr.. Ahome on his relationship with the Decease, the prosecution told the court.

Gri.