Coconut seller jailed 30 years

A coconut seller standing trial in a Kumasi Circuit Court for severing the left hand of a driver has been sentenced to 30 years imprisonment in hard labour.

Kwabena Agyare alias Bukari, 22, was convicted after he pleaded guilty to the charge of causing unlawful harm.

He had not only cut off the hand, but slashed the victim, Kwasi Addai, in the face and other parts of the body until he dropped to the ground unconscious.

He was rushed to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) where he stayed for nine weeks receiving medical attention.

Police Chief Inspector Gulliver Tenkorang told the court presided over by Mr. William Boampong that this was during a fight on February 12, at about 2100 hours.

Some days earlier, Addae had made a call from a cellular phone belonging to Agyare and accidentally dropped the phone into a gutter.

This did not go down well with the convict and he insisted that it was replaced, which the victim did.

The prosecution said on the day of the incident, the two had met at Suame and picked a quarrel and a fight ensued which Agyare grabbed a cutlass, cut off the hand of Addae and inflicted deep wounds on other parts of his body.

He handed himself to the police after the attack.

Before the court pronounced his punishment, the convict profusely pleaded to be freed so that he would work to compensate the victim with cash of GHc1,000.00 but that was rejected.