The judge at the Takoradi Magistrate Court caused a stir yesterday in the courtroom when he jokingly told the lawyer for the Police Constable, who allegedly shot and killed a final-year Ghana Secondary Technical School (GSTS) in December last year to stop praying and begin to fast.
This was after the counsel for the accused, Edmund Acquaah Hene, had prayed the court consistently to grant bail to his client.
At the court hearing yesterday, the prosecution said it needed time to complete the investigations.
The prosecutor, Inspector Paa Arhinsan, pleaded with the court to remand the policeman into police custody.
He told the court, presided over by Thomas Wofade, that investigations into the case had reached an advanced stage.
He mentioned that the investigators would have to finally gather evidence with respect to the matter, including the pathology report.
The judge therefore remanded the accused into custody and adjourned the case to February 12, 2018 to enable the prosecution to complete investigation.
The defence counsel told the court that remand should not be used to punish his client, adding “I am therefore praying the court to grant the accused bail.”
The judge jokingly remarked “please stop praying and begin to fast.
The audience burst into laughter due to the statement of the magistrate.
There was heavy security presence at the magistrate court yesterday to ostensibly shield the accused from the rage of the teeming family members and friends, as well as old students of GSTS, who had gathered to witness proceedings.
The police officer, Adjei Shaibu, has been hauled before the court for allegedly shooting and killing a final-year student of GSTS prior to Christmas last year.
He was remanded into police custody for the third time yesterday to reappear on February 12, this year.
Adjei Shaibu stationed at the Inchaban Police Station was believed to have shot the student, Lawrence Joe Baidoo at about 8:30 pm on Friday, December 22, 2017.
According to reports, the student and his four friends were on their way to a street jam at Shama Junction when the incident happened.
The accused person, who was riding a motorbike, allegedly mistook them for thieves and purportedly opened fired on them.
“The young guys were on their way to a street jam being organized by some youth from the area around 8pm on Friday, December 22. The cop, upon seeing the boys, shouted thieves and shot at them,” a resident alleged.
The lifeless body of Lawrence Baidoo was conveyed to the Effia-Nkwanta Hospital morgue in Sekondi while two other friends, who sustained injuries, were transported to a hospital at Inchaban for treatment.
Later in an interview, the counsel for the accused, Edmund Acquaah Hene, indicated that the prosecution must have enough evidence to prove its case.
“I don’t know whether to call it antics, as the prosecution claim they need more time to complete its investigations,” he said.
He pointed out that “the Ghana Police has what it takes to investigate the case with speed and called on the law enforcement agency to round up its investigations so the docket could be sent to the Attorney General’s Office for advice.
He appealed to the people to allow the procedure to be followed and stop pressurizing the court to jail the accused.
He debunked an assertion that since the accused person was a policeman, he could interfere with the gathering of evidence.
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