Fifth prosecution witness testifies in Major Mahama murder case
The fifth Prosecution witness in the trial of the alleged murderers of the late Major Maxwell Mahama on Tuesday started testifying in court.
Mr Solomon Sackey told an Accra High Court that on that fateful day he took a stick in an attempt to hit the deceased but changed his mind upon reaching the scene.
He said around 1000 hours on May 29, 2017, he was working in his home, when he heard that they had arrested one of the armed robbers.
Mr Sackey, who was giving his evidence in chief through an interpreter was being led by Mrs Evelyn Keelson, Chief State Attorney, said “l took a stick to beat the said armed robber but when l got there they had passed by with the deceased already down the road.”
He said he followed up there saw others beating the late Major so he felt pity for him and decided to drop the stick he was holding and rather tried to prevent the residents from beating him further.
He said in the process of stopping the act, l heard one of the residents, saying “l should go away with my stupidity.”
Mr Sackey said in the process of preventing them, he was hit by a stick on the hand and blood started oozing from his injury so he stepped aside to attend to it and did not concentrate on the mob anymore.
Mrs Keelson asked, whether he identified some of the residents, who took part in the act, the witness said he saw some of the accused persons including Akwasi Boah, Bernard Asamoah alias Daddy.
He said after he got to know that the man lynched was a soldier and that soldiers were on their way to the town he decided to run for his life to a friend at Bogoso.
He said it was in Bogoso that he had a call from another friend that they had seen him in a video recording and there was an announcement that all those found in the said video should surrender themselves.
“It was at this time that l told my friend that l will not stay and let anyone implicate me in this case, so l located a nearby police station and reported myself,” he said.
The witness said he was detained at Bogoso Police station for three days and sent to Deiso Police, where he spent another three days before he was brought to Accra, Nima Police station and later transferred to the Nsawam prisons.
The witness said after a series of investigations and court appearances, he was discharged.
Mr George Bernard Shaw, counsel for William Baah in cross-examination asked the witness, whether he had seen him in court before but he answered in the negative.
Defence counsel again asked the witness whether he was arrested in connection with murder of the Late Major, but his answer was no.
It was at this time that the counsel said the witness was not being truthful to the court.
The Court presided over by Justice Mariama Owusu, then adjourned the matter to Wednesday, January 16 for further cross examination of the witness.
Fourteen persons are standing trial at an Accra High Court over the killing of Major Mahama, who was an Officer of the 5th Infantry Battalion, at the Burma Camp.
The late Major was on duty at Denkyira-Obuasi when on May 29, 2017 some residents, who allegedly mistook him for an armed robber, lynched him.
The mob had ignored his persistent plea that he was an officer of the Ghana Armed Forces.
The accused are William Baah, the Assemblyman of Denkyira Obuasi, Bernard Asamoah alias Daddy, Kofi Nyarko aka Abortion, Akwasi Boah, Kwame Tuffour, Joseph Appiah Kubi, Michael Anim and Bismarck Donkor.
Others are John Bosie, Akwasi Baah, Charles Kwaning, Emmanuel Badu, Bismarck Abanga and Kwadwo Anima.
Source: GNA