Four convicted for assaulting, harming Assembly Officials

A Circuit Court at Fiapre in the Sunyani West Municipality of Bono Region has convicted and sentenced four persons to a fine of GHC10,800.00 for causing harm to Civil Servants while performing their lawful and official duties.

They are John Akans, a retired civil servant, 75, Godwin Awuni, 22, unemployed, Patrick Anyorigiya, 21, student and Lydia Akaweli 36, trader.

A fifth accused person Eunice Akans, 25 and a mobile banker was however acquitted and discharged for lack of evidence as an accomplice.

The Court Presided by Miss Rita Amoanywaa Adusah consequently sentenced the prime perpetrator, John Akans to pay a fine of 600 penalty units, equivalent to GhC7,200.00 or in default serve one year in prison in hard labour (IHL).

The other three accomplices were each fined 100 penalty units, equivalent to GhC1,200.00 or serve a month's jail term IHL each.

The sentences, according to the Court were to serve as deterrent to other people with the intention to take the law into their own hands.

Police Inspector (P/Inspt.) Emmanuel Sampson, who prosecuted the convicts, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) later in an interview that the culprits were charged with six counts of "prohibition of development without permit, obstruction, threatening, using insult and abusive language, assault and causing harm”.

P/Inspt. Sampson said on Wednesday, June 10, 2020, a team of civil servants from the Sunyani West Municipal Assembly were on lawful and official duties at Fiapre, but the convicts unlawfully attacked, assaulted and prevented them from performing their duties.

In a related interview with the GNA, Mrs. Gifty Nyarko Karikari, a Physical Development Planner at the Assembly and the team leader of the Assembly's Spatial Planning Committee said they were executing a demolishing exercise at Fiapre-Zongo on that day to pave way for an access road rehabilitation.

She said the team were clearing structures including make-shift residential buildings and toilet facilities on a road used as an alternative route that eased traffic congestion on the Fiapre-Sunyani main road.

Mrs. Karikari said to this effect, there was the need for that road to be cleared of all obstructions for reliable access in case of emergencies.

She said the team was therefore on a monitoring exercise to ascertain work done the previous day when the accused pounced on them, assaulted and threatened them to stay away if they indeed wanted to live and enjoy the rest of their lives

GNA