Accra High Court: Court frees Achimota school student who shot his mate

The accused was initially sentenced to three years imprisonment after he shot at his colleague who had visited him at Community Eight in Tema, Accra.

The 17-year-old Achimota Senior High School student who shot and killed his mate has been freed by an Accra High court.

The accused was initially sentenced to three years imprisonment after he shot at his colleague who had visited him at Community Eight in Tema, Accra.

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However, the ruling that saw him handed a three-year jail term has been now quashed following an appeal by his lawyers.

A court, presided over Justice Kofi Dogu, said the trial judge at the juvenile court erred in demanding a social enquiry report only after sentencing the accused, although it is required by law to do so before sentencing.

The court upheld claims by lawyers of the accused that the trial judge of the Juvenile court that first adjudicated the matter lacked jurisdiction.

The case has subsequently been quashed on grounds that here had been a miscarriage of justice because the Juvenile Court delivered a verdict without a social enquiry report.

In September 2017, the accused, then 16-years-old, was charged with manslaughter by the Accra Juvenile court for shooting his colleague in the abdomen.

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The incident, which took place seven months prior, occurred after the teenager went in for his father’s gun, which was under a bed with the intention of firing shots into the air.

However, it went all wrong after the gun ended up killing his friend, Lily Donkor, a third-year student also of the Achimota Senior High school.

The accused explained that his actions were not intentional, saying all he intended to do was to fire the gun into the air.

The Police later corroborated his report with an explanation that the weight of the gun led to a change of the bullet direction which hit the deceased.

The accused was initially sentenced to three years imprisonment after he shot at his colleague who had visited him at Community Eight in Tema, Accra. Read Full Story