An Enchi magistrate court in the Western North region has remanded into police custody, a 19- year old unemployed, Desmond Kwoffie, for allegedly causing harm to two other men in the area.
The accused was initially granted bail at the sum of GH₵10,000 with two sureties after he pleaded not guilty to the charge when he first appeared before court.
However, when he was expected to reappear before the court last Friday, the accused was absent and the sureties were tasked by the court to produce him at the next adjourned date, yesterday.
When the accused was brought before the court yesterday, the presiding judge, Mr. Lawrence Buanor-Buer, therefore remanded the accused into police custody.
The Prosecutor, Detective Inspector Joseph Kwadwo Agyare, given the facts of the case, stated that the complainants were James Bawa, a farmer, Joseph Yao, a mechanic, who lived at Elubulu in the Aowin Municipality, while Kwoffie, the accused is a resident of Kokoase.
He said on September 17, 2023, at about 11am, the two complainants who are friends, went to a drinking spot at Enchi to have some drinks. According to the prosecutor, the accused also entered the spot later and after taking some drinks, went to the two friends to ask them to give him the direction to the residence of one Isaiah, who the accused claimed owed him some money.
“The complainants indicated they did not know the location of Isaiah’s residence but the accused became furious in the process.
“The accused allegedly went for a bottle, broke it and grabbed the neck of one of the complainants, James Bawa, and threatened to injure him if he refused to direct him to Isaiah’s residence,” he added.
The other complainant, Joseph Yao quickly stepped in to stop the accused from harming Bawa but the accused used the broken bottle to injure Yao on his right hand.
The accused also used the broken bottle to injure Bawa also on his neck. The two injured persons later reported the incident to the Enchi police.
The complainants were given police medical forms to go to the Enchi Government hospital for treatment. The accused was subsequently arrested.
In his caution statement, Kwoffie admitted the offence and was later hauled before the court.
From Emmanuel Opoku, Takoradi