Trader jailed five years for threatening to kill brother

Kofi Ofosu-Ampadu, a 27-year-old trader, was on Friday sentenced to five years imprisonment in hard labour by the Mpraeso Circuit Court for threatening to kill his younger brother with a machete.

Ofosu-Ampadu who pleaded guilty was also found guilty of intentionally and unlawfully causing damage to a trap door, the property of his younger brother, Osei- Ampadu.


Police Inspector Christian Apronti, prosecuting, told the court presided over by Mr Kwaku Osei that both brothers live at Nkawkaw.


He said on February 5, 2013 while Osei- Ampadu, the complainant, was at his work place, he had a telephone call by a tenant in the house that Ofosu- Ampadu had been to the house with a machete and threatening to butcher him to death.


The prosecutor said Ofosu–Ampadu later destroyed the complainant’s doors with the machete.

On February 10 the complainant was in his room when Ofosu- Ampadu approached him angrily and again threatened that he should render account and hand over all the properties of their father who is currently very old and sick to him as an elderly brother else he would kill him.


The complainant sneaked out of the room and lodged a complaint at the Nkawkaw police station and Ofosu-Ampadu was subsequently arrested and during interrogation, he denied the offence.


The prosecutor said investigation later revealed that a year ago Ofosu- Ampadu behaved in a similar manner and was sent to the Accra Psychiatric Hospital for observation.


After medical examination, the family was informed that Ofosu-Ampadu was mentally sound and was therefore assumed that he was intentionally and deliberately putting fear of death and panic into his brother and other members of the family and was sentenced accordingly.