Madman jailed for assault

Kpando (V/R), May 5, GNA - Botey Kofi, alias Easy, a known lunatic in the Kpando Municipality, has been sentenced to two years' imprisonment with hard labour for assault.

Justice Justine K. Dorgu, sitting at a Kpando Circuit Court, convicted the madman on his own plea. The lunatic has since served three weeks of his sentence at the Kpando Prisons.

Answering questions on the imprisonment of the madman, Chief Inspector Thomas Kudjo Sedodey, the Prosecutor in the case, said the madman had attempted to assault Mr Lawrence Kwami Gborgblorgbe, his uncle, who reported him to the Police.

The Prosecutor said though it was well known that the man was mad, he denied his insanity at the court and pleaded guilty to the charge. He said the Judge convicted him on his own plea and ordered that he should be kept in prison for as long as he did not cause trouble. However, if he became violent he should be transferred to the mental hospital.

Commenting on the sentence, Chief Superintendent Amidu Abdulai Salifu, Kpando District Commander of the Ghana Police Service, said the most appropriate thing was for the court to have sent him to the mental hospital for observation and treatment.

He said a madman could not be accountable for his own action and it was incumbent on those responsible for his incarceration to ensure that he was taken out of jail "because if he killed anyone in the prison, we shall be answerable".

The Police Commander ordered Chief Inspector Sedodey to contact the family of the lunatic and compel them to transport him to the mental hospital in order to forestall any catastrophe that would put the Service into disrepute.

Botey, who has been mad for over 10 years, was a regular footballer for the defunct Kpando Akpini Lete F/C, a second division club in the old national football league system.

He is very popular among the inhabitants who call him "Easy."