3 students charged for murder

Four persons have appeared before the Kaneshie District Magistrate Court in Accra for allegedly murdering one Thomas Owusu Koduah, a 27-year -old cellular phone dealer.

They are Emmanuel Hanson, Duke Ashie, Prince Emmanuel – all students – and James Acquaye, cashier.

The prosecution, led by Inspector Kingsley Oppong, told the court that the accused persons, on September 2, 2015 conspired and murdered Koduah at Kaneshie, a suburb of Accra.

The plea of the accused persons – who had been charged with conspiracy to murder and murder – was not taken.

The trial magistrate, Adwoa Akyaama Ofosu, remanded them into police custody until September 22, 2015.

This was after she had refused a spirited application for bail filed by Kwame Asumming, counsel for the accused persons.

Juveniles

He argued that per the prosecution’s facts, there was a confrontation in which someone picked a knife [with which Ofosu was stabbed] but the police failed to specifically tell who among the accused persons it was.

According to Mr Asumming, the prosecution had brought innocent juveniles to the court for trial, insisting that his clients did not commit the offence.

The defence lawyer contended that the accused persons, knowing that they had not committed the offence, did not run when the police arrived at the scene of the incident, indicating that the accused persons are not vagabonds.

Mr Asumming stated that in view of the circumstances leading to the death of Koduah, it was possible that other bad nuts who are not clients, could cause what he described as the “probable event of stabbing someone.”

Inspector Oppong in a quick rebuttal, stated that Mr Asumming was beating about the bush.

He said a life had been lost in the case and urged the court to decline the bail to enable the prosecution conduct further investigations into the case.

Meanwhile, the court has also ordered Mr Asumming to provide prove that his clients are juveniles.