Convict Urinates In Courtroom

Kwasi Tawiah, a 22-year-old man standing trial at a Kumasi Circuit Court for robbing two traders at gun point, caused a stir in the courtroom when he urinated on himself moments before he was sentenced to serve a 48-year jail term.

Tawiah, a chop bar worker, pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to rob and robbery when he appeared before the court, while his accomplice, Charles Koblah, pleaded not guilty.

As the court room became as quiet as a cemetery, and with those converged there waiting patiently for the presiding Judge, Mr Emmanuel Amu Yartey, to pass judgment, a police man who was on guard duties spotted an unusual flow of liquid from where Tawiah was seated.

Close examination of the liquid, its source of flow, colour and thickness proved without doubt that it was urine, and within seconds, the court room was filled with laughter.

The situation however did not prevent Mr Amu Yartey from putting the 22- year -old man behind bars for the next 48 years.

Tawiah had earlier told the court that he and Kobiah had ganged up to rob their victims at gunpoint.

Inspite of the graphic presentation Tawiah gave of how they planned and executed their actions, Kobiah insisted that he never played any role in the robbery, and therefore pleaded not guilty to the charges preferred against him.

The court therefore had no option than to convict Tawiah on his own plea while providing the prosecution the chance to prove its case against Kobiah.

Earlier in his presentation of the facts, a Senior State Attorney, Mr. Emmanuel Lawrence Otoo-Boison, told the court that Tawiah, together with Koblah, ambushed a trader who had just arrived from Tarkwa and was heading towards Techiman enroute to Tamale in the Northern Region.

He said 30 minutes after the trader had been robbed of some valuable items and cash at gunpoint, Tawiah and Koblah attacked another trader, but this time, their action attracted a good Samaritan who raised an alarm, leading to their arrest.