Birthday party turns sour

An Accra Circuit Tribunal chaired by Mr Mohammed Nabon on Monday sentenced one Kwabena Ofori to a fine of 5.3 million cedis for careless driving and negligently causing harm.

Ofori, who pleaded guilty to five counts of careless driving, negligently causing harm, driving without licence, failing to produce vehicle for test on Police demand and failing to produce accident report, will go to prison for 12 months with hard labour if he fails to pay the fine within four weeks.

The prosecution told the court that on August 4, 1998 Ofori, who claimed to be celebrating his birthday, invited some friends to Europa Drinking Spot at Tesano.

At about 2400 hours when the celebration ended Ofori, behind the steering wheel of a Mitsubishi Pick-up without a registration number and with 19 people on board, drove towards Abelemkpe.

At Apenkwah the accused lost control of the vehicle, somersaulted and fell in the middle of the road. Some of the passengers sustained injuries and were taken to the Ridge and 37 Military hospitals. One of the victims died two days later at the Ridge Hospital.

Ofori failed to report the accident to the police but rather went into hiding for three years until police arrested him on November 19. He could neither show the police the vehicle nor his driving licence.