Croydon man charged with murdering friend in Ghana

A Croydon man has been arrested in Ghana, accused of the murder of his former friend.

Frank Kwame Gambrah, 30, was charged and is awaiting trial for the shooting of Darren Dansoh, 25, also of Croydon, who was gunned down in a nightclub car park in the nation’s capital Accra in August 2007.

Mr Gambrah was arrested for the shooting as he stepped off the plane in Ghana on October 1, this year.

The deputy director-general of the criminal investigations department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service, assistant commissioner of police (ACP) Joshua Dogbeda, said the two, who were friends, used to visit Ghana frequently, then return to the UK.

According to ACP Dogbeda, investigations by the police soon after the incident revealed Mr Dansoh befriended both Mr Gambrah and his younger brother Eric in Croydon.

ACP Dogbeda said the relationship turned sour, with violent confrontations developing among the three friends, which prompted Mr Dansoh to go to Ghana in August 2007, to cool off.

ACP Dogbeda said Mr Gambrah followed Mr Dansoh to Ghana and began sending a series of text messages to the deceased, saying he would kill him.

At 3am on October 12, Mr Dansoh, together with his girlfriend, stepped out of the the Aphrodisiac nightclub and was shot twice in the chest, ACP Dogbeda said.

Immediately afterwards Mr Gambrah, who has a previous conviction for robbery in 2000, left Ghana and returned to Croydon.

He was arrested and jailed in 2008, after a .22 rifle was found under the stairs of his ex-girlfriend’s house.

He returned to Ghana after serving only half of a three-year prison sentence and was arrested at the airport and handed over to the Ghanaian police homicide unit.

Mr Gambrah appeared at Osu District Magistrates’ Court on Friday, October 9, and was held on remand while an investigation team completed its inquiries.

He is due to appear before Accra High Court later this year.

Darren Dansoh’s sister has spoken of her anguish at trying to find justice in a country she claims is riddled with corruption.

Council worker Dilys Dansoh said: “I just want to find out the truth about what happened to my brother.

“This has taken so long to get to where we are now, I just want to know my brother’s killer will be punished for what happened.

“The police have been completely lackadaisical regarding the case and it has taken a long time to get where we are now.

“My brother was not a bad guy, he did not deserve to die like this.

“He had become friends with Frank, and his younger brother, but something happened I do not know about.”

“I saw Frank’s [Gambrah] younger brother before Darren died.

“I asked him why they were arguing and told him to tell his brother just to leave it and I’d have a word with Darren, but all he said was whatever happens between Frank and Darren happens.

“Darren’s death has devastated our family.

“My mother died shortly after Darren did, and we have been left not knowing what is going on from one day to the next.

“I just hope now someone has been arrested.”