Court cautions Prempeh Headmaster

Mr Justice Abrahams, presiding over a Kumasi High Court, last Wednesday cautioned Mr E.A. Sekyere, headmaster of Prempeh College in Kumasi, for misconducting himself towards a bailiff of the court. He is said to have thrown the bailiff out of his office and threatened him if he dared enter his office again.

The bailiff had gone there to serve him with a notice of a motion instituted against him by two members of staff over the suspension of their salaries and alleged harassment.

Hardly had Justice Abrahams adjourned the case to enable the counsel for the plaintiffs to study the case when he told the court that he had some bad news for Sekyere, the third defendant.

The news, according to Justice Abrahams, was that his bailiff had complained to him that morning about Sekyere’s conduct when he served him with a notice of hearing of the case. “You are reported to have thrown my bailiff out and threatened him,” the honourbale judge told the defendant.

Justice Abrahams said he believed the report of his officer, but expressed doubts if a man of Sekyere’s calibre would stoop so low to threaten a bailiff, whose only offence was discharging his duty. Sekyere was cautioned not to repeat such misconduct or be made to face the full rigours of the law.

Before the headmaster could react, Lawyer Kwaku Djan, a member of the Education Council and friend of the court, apologised to the court on behalf of the headmaster, the school and the board.

Sekyere, jointly and severally sued together with three others, for general and special damages, was in the dock to defend the charge brought against him by the plaintiffs, Messrs E.K. Frimpong and William Ababio, Assistant Headmaster and Economics tutor of Prempeh College, respectively.