Cell escapee pleads not guilty in attempted murder case
Trial of a 23-year-old private security man charged with attempted murder, robbery and sexual assault, has begun at an Accra High Court.
Pius Anundoabil Ayoma, pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Ayoma, a cell escapee, who is currently on remand at the Nsawam Prisons, has been assigned a Legal Aid lawyer after failing to acquire the services of one.
Ayoma escaped from the Manet Police Custody shortly after appearing before the High Court on March 1, 2023.
He claimed a policeman assisted him to escape from the cells.
He was picked up at Afienya.
When the High Court resumed sitting, the prosecution led by Mrs Sefakor Batse, a Principal State Attorney, told the court that she was ready to address the jury, but counsel for the accused indicated otherwise.
The trial judge Justice Lydia Osei Marfo, therefore, adjourned the matter to October 25 for the parties to address the jury.
The prosecution’s case was that the complainants were a couple, who resided together off the Spintex Road.
Pius Anundoabil Ayoma, the accused person, also resided off the Spintex Road Accra and was a security man with a private Security Company.
The prosecution said the accused person was assigned by the private security firm to work at the residence of the couple as a security guard till he was relieved of that post upon a complaint made by the couple to his (the accused person’s) supervisor over petty stealing at their residence.
The prosecution said on January 21, 2020, at about 7:30pm, the accused, who was no longer working at the residence of the couple, armed with a gun and a knife, went to the premises of the complainants wearing a mask and attacked the security man on duty.
The prosecutor said the accused allegedly tied the security man on duty’s legs and arms with a necktie and a rope after, which he hit him several times with the butt of the gun.
The prosecution told the court that the accused person thereafter gained access to the main house with a duplicate key, which he already had.
It said the accused person then entered the bedroom of the couple, removed his mask and saw the wife of the complainant, who was home alone.
The prosecution said the accused person allegedly forcefully broke into their bathroom where she was freshening up to go to church.
The prosecutor said the accused person ordered her to transfer some money from her phone to a mobile number, which investigations later revealed was registered in his name.
“He then took her to the room where he had tied their security guard and threatened to hit her with the gun just as he was hitting the security guard if she did not give him more money.”
The prosecution said the complainant’s wife pleaded with him not to hit her because she was pregnant and did not want to lose her baby.
“He forcibly made her transfer about two thousand Ghana Cedis to the said phone number and even assaulted her.
“He asked her for more money which she said she did not have so he told her he would wait for her husband to return since he was aware they were well to do,” the prosecution said.
The prosecutor said the accused person then tied her up in the bathroom, ransacked the rooms and collected various items belonging to the couple.
According to the prosecution, the accused person took away two iPhones, one Dell Laptop computer, one DSTV decoder, a 32 inches Samsung Television, a 55-inch Philip flat Screen Television, two travelling bags and assorted cloths.”
The prosecution said the accused person then ordered her to use her phone to order an Uber to come to the house and with the assistance of the Uber driver, he conveyed all the items into the vehicle.
“The accused did not leave. He waited for the other complainant (who is the husband) to return from work. At about 10:30 pm, he returned home and entered the house.
“It was only upon entering the house that he realised his house was under attack. He saw his wife tied on the toilet seat and in his attempt to set her free, he was attacked by the accused, who was hiding behind the bathroom door.”
The prosecution said he (the accused) tried hitting the husband (the complainant) with his gun, but he ran out with shouts for help.
It said the accused chased the complainant (husband) outside and fired the gun, but he escaped unhurt.
“The accused, (who had earlier on come out unmasked to pack the stolen items into the Uber) jumped into the Uber vehicle, but now masked and ordered the driver at gun point to drive out of the house, towards Spintex road.”
The prosecution said on their way, “the accused removed the mask and ordered the Uber driver to get a taxi for him”.
The driver obliged and stopped a taxi, and he moved the booty into the taxi and ordered the driver to drive towards Kasapreko direction.
The prosecution said the police were informed and the accused was trailed to Kasapreko junction where he was spotted in the taxi with the stolen items.
The police signaled the driver to stop, and he did, and the accused came out and pointed a gun at the police, the court heard.
The prosecution said the accused managed to escape leaving the taxi together with the booty.
The prosecutor said the taxi was sent to the Manet Police Station where a complaint was lodged.
It said the complainants identified the stolen items in the taxi as theirs.
The prosecution said investigations later revealed that the accused was hiding at Fumbisi in the Upper East Region where he was arrested.
Source: GNA