His Honour Kwabena Kodua Obiri-Yeboah, presiding over an Accra Circuit Court, has sentenced a 52-year-old steel bender, Kojo Senagbe, to six months imprisonment in hard labour for attacking a neighbour with a machete over a suspected romantic rivalry.
Senagbe was found guilty of causing harm, contrary to Section 69 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29).
In addition to the custodial sentence, the court imposed a fine of 600 penalty units, equivalent to GH¢7,200, or in default, an additional six months imprisonment.
He was also ordered to pay GH¢5,000 as compensation to the victim, Oliver Zinto.
The incident occurred on May 10, 2025, at Community 14 Annex, Lashibi, in the Greater Accra Region.
According to the prosecution, led by Chief Inspector Berlinda Asante, the complainant, Oliver Zinto, a carpenter, was on his way home at about 10:30 p.m. when the accused unexpectedly confronted him on a footpath and ordered him to stop.
Suspecting danger, the complainant ignored the command and attempted to walk away, but Senagbe attacked him with a machete.
He slashed the complainant multiple times—on the scalp, left ear, arm, and back—leaving him bleeding profusely. Zinto, sensing a threat to his life, managed to wrestle the weapon from the accused before bystanders rushed in to help.
The attacker fled the scene before police arrived. A formal complaint was lodged at the Klagon Police Station, and a medical form was issued for the victim to seek immediate treatment.
Following police investigations, Senagbe was arrested on May 12, 2025, and admitted to the offence in his caution statement, confessing that his motive stemmed from a belief that the complainant had taken over his girlfriend.
The machete used in the attack was retrieved during the investigation. After reviewing the facts and the accused’s confession, the court delivered its judgment, describing the attack as deliberate and reckless, and imposed the sentence accordingly.
Senagbe begins his sentence immediately and is expected to fulfill the compensation and penalty unit fine, or risk serving additional jail time.