Vandal murder case: Counsel prays court to discharge footballer

Defence counsel for the 23-year-old footballer who allegedly stabbed to death a former student of the University of Ghana during an argument has prayed a Madina District Court to discharge his client.

Mr Derrick Adu-Gyamfi who represented George Osei Mensah, the accused, argued that there had been an unreasonable delay in the trial of his client.
   
Defence counsel pointed out to the court presided over by Mr Richard D. Anku that the full report from the Pathologist was not ready and the Police are still waiting for the said report to facilitate their investigations as well build a duplicate docket to the Office of the Attorney General for advice.
   
“This is a clear case of unreasonable delay and my client’s liberty is being curtailed. My client is innocent until he has been proven guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction. ” defence counsel said.
   
According to the counsel he was not seeking bail because the district court did not have the jurisdiction to grant bail.
   
He therefore appealed to the Court to impress on the Police to expedite action in the matter.
   
Prosecuting Inspector Joyce Ninson told the court that the Police are still waiting for the full autopsy report from the pathologist.
   
Prosecution said the Police would need the report to enable them to build a duplicate docket to be sent to the Attorney Department for advice.
   
The court therefore ordered prosecution to expedite action in securing the autopsy report for the trial to commence.
   
“I advise that the prosecution should liaise with the Pathologist and the Attorney General so that trial would continue,” the Magistrate said.
   
The matter has been adjourned to April 5.
   
Mensah was put before the court for allegedly stabbing Martin Tweneboah aka Tipsy aged 32 with a broken bottle at the Commonwealth Hall on December 9, last year.
   
The accused who is facing a provisional charge of murder have had his plea reserved by the court.
   
The case of prosecution was that Mensah and Tweneboah attended a funeral of former student of the University of Ghana, who was a vandal at Dodowa in the Greater Accra Region on December 9, last year.
   
Prosecution said while the two were in the Commonwealth Hall van on their way back to Accra, they engaged in a heated argument over who was a vandal and who was not.
   
According to prosecution, Tweneboah allegedly ordered Mensah to get out of the van since it was for vandals.
   
When the two arrived at University‘s campus, the argument heated up and Mensah allegedly grabbed an empty bottle, broke it and stabbed Tweneboah multiple times at the neck.
   
A report was made to the Police after Tweneboah had been rushed to the Legon Hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival.

Source: GNA