Court orders Police Service to pay ¢320k for reckless shooting while chasing goat thieves

A Cape Coast High Court has ordered the Ghana Police Service to pay a whopping ¢320,000 fine as compensation to a family after shooting into their moving car and killing a woman while injuring her husband and daughter.

A bullet strayed into the car of the victims as the officers fired shots into a taxi occupied by some goat thieves they were pursuing at Twifo Praso on January 10, 2019.

The deceased Josephine Owusuaa Aboagye, her husband Aboagye Okyere and their daughter Cecilia Mensah who was on her way to school suffered the unexpected attack onboard their car which was moving from Ankaful Junction in Cape Coast.

Unfortunately, Mary Aboagye was pronounced dead after some bystanders rushed her and her injured husband and daughter to the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital.

The police told the court that the fatal incident occurred during its quest to crack down on criminals.

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“Ghana Police Service told the court it deployed five policemen from various police stations in the Central Region for police patrol duty at Darmang near Twifo Praso. Whilst on patrols, they had information that there was a BMW saloon car with four occupants suspected to be driving recklessly.

“A few minutes later, the said BMW car approached the patrol team. The team signalled the driver to stop. However, he ignored the signals and sped off, nearly knocking down the policemen.

“The team noticed that the passenger on the front seat was holding an AK 47 riffle. Accordingly, they notified all the police barriers from Twifo Praso to Cape Coast and proceeded to chase the said BMW car.

“On the outskirts of Jukwa Senior High School, the suspected robbers then began firing at the police patrol vehicle with AK 47 rifle leaving the police no choice but to return fire.

“A search conducted in the car revealed six live goats, one live sheep and five dead goats. They arrested the suspected robbers and sent them with the animals found in the car to the regional headquarters in Cape Coast where they made a situational report to their officers,” the police told the court in defence, according to Myjoyonline.com.

But Justice Kwasi Boakye who presided over the court thought the officers could have been more professional.

He called on the Inspector-General of Police Dr George Akuffo Dampare to restructure and restore professionalism into the service.

“He consequently awarded the 1st plaintiff, the sum of One Hundred and Fifty Thousand Ghana Cedis (GHC150,000.00) lump sum as compensation and ordered the defendants to pay same having considered the following heads: future loss of earnings, nursing attendants, loss of amenities, loss of expectation of life and disability.

“For Cecilia Mensah, the 3rd plaintiff, a student of the Academy of Christ The King SHS, the judge assessed compensation payable at ¢60,000 and ordered the defendants to pay same.

“He also further awarded a lump sum payment of ¢100,000 to the estates of the deceased because her family member, Josephine Okyere, sued as a dependent of Mary Aboagye.

“The court assessed cost at ¢10,000 in favour of the plaintiffs and against the defendants,” Myjoyonline.com reports.

Justice Kwasi Boakye was however quick to add that the fine was not meant to discourage the police from doing their work but they must exercise caution at all times.

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