An Accra Circuit Court presided over by Mrs. Christina Cann, has convicted a 34-year-old Jeremiah Afotey Otu to five years in prison for violently attacking a scrap dealer in La, Accra.
Otu was found guilty of causing harm, despite initially pleading not guilty.
In addition to the prison sentence, Mrs. Cann ordered Otu to pay GHC 10,000 in compensation to the victim.
The prosecution, led by Chief Inspector Stanley Fiotso, reported that the victim, a scrap dealer from Logotwenshie, was assaulted on December 14, 2023.
Otu, along with a group of around 20 individuals, confronted a man named Enoch, accusing him of stealing a 32-inch Nasco television.
When Enoch failed to identify the scrap dealer to whom he sold the television, the group became aggressive.
Armed with cutlasses and other weapons, they seized a motorcycle belonging to one of the scrap dealers, threatening to return it only if the television was recovered.
During an attempt by the complainant and other scrap dealers to reclaim the motorcycle, a confrontation ensued.
A police officer at the scene advised them to resolve the issue at the police station.
As they proceeded to La Apapa, Otu attacked the complainant, inflicting multiple cutlass wounds before fleeing.
Otu was subsequently arrested on December 24, 2023, at a hideout at Osu beach.
