The Juapong Circuit Court has sentenced Abel Dzidotor, the 41-year-old truck driver who abandoned his vehicle on the Tema-Mpakadan rail lines to six months imprisonment.
This was after Abel Dzidotor pleaded guilty to three out of four charges.
The court, presided over by His Honour Prosper Deu-Love Gormashie, took into consideration the fact that the convict was married with three children, and his guilty plea at the first instance.
On Thursday, April 18 2024, at about 12:10 pm, authorities of the railway development together with their counterpart from Poland carried out a test of the new Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) 001 from Tema to Mpakadan.
In the course of testing the train, and on reaching Abortia, a suburb of Juapong, the train collided with an abandoned truck across the railway Iine at an unapproved area.
The truck got damaged beyond repairs while the train had some degree of damage.
According to the prosecutor, the accused driver went into hiding at Tagadzi where he was arrested and arraigned before the court.
The driver was charged with careless and inconsiderate driving and he was sentenced to 100 penalty units in default and served 20 months in jail.
On Count two, the driver was charged with unauthorized stopping which he was sentenced to 20 penalty units in default and serves 5months imprisonment while on count 3 charge of causing unlawful damage; six months imprisonment with hard labour
The Court has however adjourned the hearing on Count 4 which is the charge of failing to produce a driver’s license to May 9th, 2024.
The sentences are however expected to run concurrently.