The suspect, Xue Hui
The prosecution in the case of a Chinese national accused of using a flip knife to slash the neck of a Ghanaian concrete mixture operator, Isaac Boateng, has preferred fresh charges against the accused person.
Xue Hui, a manager of Poly Changda Engineering Company, was initially charged with attempted murder but has now been charged with use of offensive weapon and causing harm following an amendment of the charge sheet.
The case has also been moved from the Sekondi District Court where the committal proceedings began, to the Takoradi Circuit Court ‘A’ for full trial.
The accused person pleaded not guilty to the two charges when he appeared before the court yesterday, and the court granted him bail in the sum of GH¢50,000 to reappear on November 22, 2022.
This was after the counsel for the accused, Akpene Darko Cobbinah, had told the court that the charges were bailable ones.
He described the facts of the case by the prosecution as inaccurate, and that what happened was not intentional but accidental.
“Even when the incident happened it was the accused who reported himself to the police at Adiembra, and when granted bail, he will not interfere with police investigations,” he added.
Granting the bail, the judge, Michael Ampadu, asked the accused to pay the GH¢50,000 bail sum in cash to be put in the court’s yielding account and also deposit his passport with the registrar.
The lead counsel for the accused, Eric Brenya Otchere, pleaded with the court to give the accused some time to pay the GH¢50,000, which the court agreed and asked the accused to pay the money in seven days.
The brief facts state in August 2022, the accused person reported the behaviour of Isaac Boateng (complainant) to his foreman, one Wisdom Akpalu, for not adhering to safety protocols at work and further intended to dismiss the complainant.
On September 27, 2022, complainant went to work at Kweikuna at 7am and closed at 3pm instead of 5pm, without any permission from the accused or foreman.
The following day, September 28, 2022, while the complainant was working at the site and also taking his lunch, accused confronted him as to why he closed from work at 3pm the previous day.
This resulted in exchange of words and accused told complainant that he has dismissed the complainant from work. Complainant became annoyed and packed his working attire and went to accused person to demand his salary.
This led to a hot argument between the two parties. Accused left complainant and went into his office after he intimated to the complainant, he has sent his time sheet to their main office at Airforce Base, Takoradi, for the complainant to be paid.
The complainant therefore stood in front of accused person’s office demanding his salary. Accused without any provocation came out of his office wielding a flip knife, which he used to slash the complainant’s neck.
FROM Emmanuel Opoku, Sekondi