AK47 thief threatened to kill me – Witness

A prosecution witness in the case of the 35-year-old carpenter standing trial for allegedly stealing an AK47 rifle from a sleeping policeman on duty has said that the accused threatened to kill her.

The witness, Felicia Opoku, a 32-year-old co-tenant of Anthony Agbozo at Pokuase in Accra, said the accused had warned her to stay away from matters concerning him (the accused) and his wife or risk being killed.

Led in evidence by Chief Superintendent Duuti Tuaruka, Felicia told an Accra Circuit Court presided over by Aboagye Tandoh that on the day of the incident she heard the accused and the wife arguing.

She said having been warned by the accused that if she got closer to them she would be killed, she entered her room. She added that while inside, she saw the accused holding a black handbag behind her window.

Felicia stated that the following day, she saw the said bag under her refuse bin and alerted her husband.

The witness indicated that they both raised an alarm and neighbours nearby assisted them to open the bag. It contained the rifle, a screwdriver and a pinch bar, she told the court.

Anthony was said to be in possession of the rifle in addition to eight rounds of ammunition without lawful authority.

He was arrested last year at Pokuase when he purportedly threatened his wife with the weapon.

He has however denied the charges of unlawfully and intentionally damaging the rifle which is the property of the Ghana Police Service.

At about 6pm on November 30, 2015, L/Cop Joseph Manu went to the Amasaman Charge Office and booked the said weapon in addition to 10 rounds of ammunition for guard duty at the Pobiman tollbooth.

Four hours later, the police officer went home with the rifle to see if his wife who had travelled the previous day had returned.

The police said while waiting, the policeman put the rifle on the floor, laid on his bed and slept off and that while he was asleep Anthony entered the room and stole the rifle together with the ammunition.

During interrogation, it was detected that Anthony had cut the muzzle and the butt of the rifle while six out of the eight rounds of ammunition retrieved from him were not those stolen from the police officer.