An Accra High Court has set aside a judgment by a Juvenile court that jailed a final-year student of Achimota Senior High School in Accra for killing a female colleague in January 2017.
The High Court said there was a miscarriage of justice because the juvenile court delivered a verdict without waiting for a social enquiry report.
The jail term was imposed in September 2017 by a Juvenile court presided over by Bernardine S.A Senoo.
He found the SHS student guilty of manslaughter and sentenced him to three years imprisonment at a correctional Home.
Lily Donkor, who was also in her final year at Achimota High School was shot dead by her friend after she had gone to visit him at his Community 8 home in Tema on January 4, 2017.
During the trial, the prosecution explained that the accused went into his father’s room and picked up his father’s single-barrelled gun and shot the victim in the abdomen.
The convict had told the police that he intended to shoot into the air however the gravity of the gun changed course and hit the deceased.
The prosecution said one Madam Gifty Billy, a neighbour, heard the gunshot and went to the scene only to see the victim lying in a pool of blood.
The prosecution said Gifty rushed the victim to the Port Clinic in Tema. She died at the 37 Military Hospital in Accra where she was transferred.
The convict has been serving his sentence in a Correctional facility since the September 2017 judgment. But about six months since the judgment, a High Court has faulted the verdict.
The court said the earlier ruling contravened the Juvenile Act which requires the report to be issued before sentencing.
The Act also says the trial must not travel beyond 6months. When the Juvenile Court realized the 6months was almost up it sentenced the guy and now ordered for the report to be put together
Section 24—Social Enquiry Report.
(1) Where a juvenile is charged with an offence, the juvenile court shall order a social enquiry report to be submitted to the court which shall be taken into account by the court in the making of an order.
(2) The social enquiry report shall be prepared by a probation officer who shall visit the home of the juvenile.
(3) The social enquiry report shall include particulars on the background of the juvenile, the present circumstances of the juvenile, the conditions under which the offence was committed and recommendations for sentence.
(4) The social enquiry report may include a recommendation that the matter before the juvenile court be referred to a child panel established under the Children's Act, 1998 (Act 560) but the referral shall only be in respect of a minor offence.
(5) The court shall ensure that the contents of the report are made known to the juvenile and a copy shall be made available to the juvenile or the legal representative of the juvenile.
(6) The court may request an oral report from the probation officer in addition to the social enquiry report.
(7) If the court does not follow the recommendations given in the report, written reasons shall be given as to why the recommendations have not been complied with.
Source: myjoyonline.com
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How can he be walking free ???? just because the first sentence was wrong????? if the first was wrong just sentence him the correct way but making it a ***barred word*** case is an insult.
Really ??? big men talking behind close doors and portraying bullshiiit in the courtroom for the low level heads to grasp. I have 5 sisters and always hope and pray shiiiiit like what happened to this girl never comes my way . trust me i will go on my own solo project of hunting his identity and clock him thru drive by and skrrrrrrrrrrrrrr am gone with the wind. you don't ***barred word*** up like that and walk free out there in the street . i'd die for any of them . ***barred word*** the system RIP sweetie , insecure niggas who don't have it in their head that these biiiiiiches be for everybody , just don't ***barred word*** up by killing a biiiiiich .
Why cant they tell us the boys name or post his picture.
The law is definitely an ***barred word***. That boy will be free now but will never be free in life.
How i wish this can be a test case for special prosecutor
very sad. i pray the next victim should be very close to home
We all know "Dada-ba" can never be incacerated in Ghana. Sad!
We followed this story from the beginning and there are factual infractions in this your report. In the earlier report, there was a denial that it was a gone that was fired. They allegedly said it was a knock-out. There was an attempted cover up and that compelled the parents of the deceased girl to pursue the matter in court. Whilst the girl laid wreathing in pain, there was an attempt by the parents of the boy to cover up the crime of their son. It took over an hour for them to get help for the girl and by that time it was too late and she gave up the ghost. The circumstances of the whole thing suggested foul play because if it was a genuine accident the first priority is to save life through any reasonable means. But under the circumstance it appeared covering up the guy's crime was of a higher priority.The parents of the deceased with the guidance of their lawyer should appeal or order a re-trial and if these fail pursue a civil action against the parents of the boy. This girl cannot just die like a fowl and no one gets punished for it. I am sure if the culprit was the son of the ordinary Ghanaian walking the streets he would have been languishing in jail by now. But I am sure the boy is the son of an influential businessman or politician and therefore they want to subvert justice in order to protect the boy. If the laws have to be meaningful and prove useful in justice delivery in this country then they must bite equally when breached without regard for the person breaching them.
Karl Max described law as an instrument of oppression in the hands of those who are well off to suppress those who are lowly placed.