Marwako assault: Victim’s face was dipped into blender - Witness

A worker at the Marwako restaurant has said that Jihad Chaaban, a Supervisor, involved in the assault case dipped Ms Evelyn Boakye the alleged victim’s face into a blender containing ginger, garlic, onion and pepper.

Ms Susan Yayera Dovlo, an employee of the restaurant, however denied that the blended ingredients splashed into the face of Miss Boakye.

Giving her evidence in chief before the Abeka District Court, she also denied that the blender Chaaban was holding fell to the ground.

Led in evidence by Chief Inspector H.A Hanson, she said on February 26, this year she went to work at about 2:30 pm and one of her seniors informed her that they don’t have enough pepper so she should go and blend some.

According to her she was told to blend more because customers at the restaurant were many.

Ms Dovlo said she called Ms Boakye to assist her to blend the ingredients and she obliged.

According to her Ms Boakye suggested that she (Ms Dovlo) should chop the ingredients so that she (Ms Boakye) could blend them.

“I chopped the onions and blended the ingredients. We managed to blend the first one and in our bid to blend the second one, the blender halted. We put the blender on and it began making noise so we put it off,’’ witness said.

Ms Dovlo told the court that when the blender went off, Chaaban entered and shouted “Shara Matta, what are you doing. Shara Matta the court was told meant prostitute in Lebanese language.

According to her Chaaban took off the blender from its motor and poured the “unblended’’ out leaving some blended quantity in the blender.

The witness said Chaaban held the head of the victim and dipped her face into the blender.

Ms Dovlo said the victim went into the restaurant dressing room but she did not see when the victim left the Restaurant.

Answering questions under cross-examination, the witness admitted that she did not hear Chaaban yell at the victim that she wanted to destroy the blender.

Meanwhile, the victim has ended her testimony.

Prosecution has also informed the court that most of their witnesses in the matter have been transferred and it was going to be difficult to get them in court.

According to prosecution the witnesses were therefore reporting to work from other branches of the Restaurant. He however assured the court he would produce them to the court.

This was after the court had asked him to whether or not he wanted the witnesses to be summoned before it.

The court advised the Prosecution to produce their witnesses. Chaaban aged 26, was charged with offensive conduct by calling the victim a prostitute, intentionally and unlawfully causing harm and assault.

Chaaban has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

He was on February 28, this year, alleged to have assaulted the victim Evelyn Boakye for fidgeting with a blender and working slowly.

Chaaban, a brother –in-law of the owner of Marwako Restaurant at the Abelemkpe branch allegedly grabbed the neck of the victim angrily and dipped her face into a blended pepper which poured on the table.

Hearing continues on April 3 before the court presided over by Ms Victoria Ghansah