The High Court in Accra has sentenced William Baah, the Assemblyman of Denkyira-Obuasi and 11 others into life imprisonment after they were found guilty for their respective roles in the lynching to death of the late military officer Major Maxwell Mahama.
This was after the seven-member jury comprising of a lady and six gentlemen returned a unanimous guilty verdict against William Baah for abetment.
The Eleven others – Bernard Asamoah alias Daddy, Kofi Nyame a.k.a Abortion, Akwasi Boah, Kwame Tuffour, Joseph Appiah Kubi, Michael Anim, John Bosie, Akwasi Asante, Charles Kwaning, Emmanuel Baidoo, and Kwadwo Anima were also unanimously found guilty for conspiracy.
The Jury also returned a unanimous guilty verdict against Bernard Asamoah, alias Daddy, Kofi Nyame a.k.a Abortion, Charles Kwaning a.k.a Akwasi Boah, Kwame Tuffour, Joseph Appiah Kubi, Michael Anim, Akwasi Asante and Charles Kwaning for the charge murder.
After sentencing them to life imprisonment, Justice Mariama Owusu, a Justice of the Supreme Court sitting with additional responsibility as a High Court judge, said, the punishment for both conspiracy and the murder are to run concurrently.
Two others – Bismarck Donkor (A8) and Bismark Abanga (A13) who were charged for conspiracy have been acquitted and discharged after the jury returned a unanimous not guilty verdict in their favour.
EIB Network Legal Affairs Correspondent, Murtala Inusah, reports that the mother of the late Major Mahama punched the air in satisfaction after Justice Owusu imposed the life sentence on them as prescribed by law.
Family of the late soldier cladded in black outfit (some) with red armbands including the mother, father and siblings of the late young soldier were all present in an emotionally-tensed court session.
Godfred Yeboah Dame, the Attorney General led the team of State Prosecutors including Deputy Attorney General, Alfred Tuah-Yeboah and Chief State Attorney Mrs Evelyn Keelson.
Defence lawyers including Theophilus Donkor, George Bernard Shaw and Patrick Anim Addo were also present.
Brief facts
The facts, presented by the prosecution, were that Major Mahama was the commander of a military detachment stationed at Diaso in the Upper Denkyira West District in the Central Region to check illegal mining activities.
At 8 am on May 29, 2017, Major Mahama, wearing civilian clothes but with his sidearm, left his detachment base for a 20-kilometre jogging.
At 9:25 a.m., the military officer got to the outskirts of Denkyira Obuasi, where a number of women were selling foodstuffs by the roadside.
He stopped to interact with the women and even bought some snails, which he left in their custody to be taken up on his return from jogging.
While he was taking out money from his pocket to pay for the snails, the woman from whom he had bought the snails and a few others saw his sidearm tucked to his waist.
Soon after he left, one of the women telephoned the assembly member for Denkyira Obuasi to report what they had seen.
“Without verifying the information, the assembly member mobilised the accused persons and others, some now at large, to attack the military officer,” the prosecution stated.
It added that the mob met Major Mahama near the Denkyira Obuasi cemetery and, without giving him the opportunity to explain and identify himself, “attacked him with implements such as clubs, cement blocks and machetes, killed him and burnt a portion of his body”.
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/103.5FM/Murtala Inusah
