Users of Criminal Court ‘5’ Division of an Accra High Court were yesterday terrified when the rifle of a prison officer accidentally discharged in the courtroom.
The accidental discharge of the prison officer’s AK47 rifle in the courtroom left him with a severe leg injury.
The officer, whose name is withheld, saw his already cocked gun accidentally discharge while he was in the courtroom together with other officers who had accompanied some prison inmates to the courtroom for their trial.
The officer was in the courtroom where the case of four persons standing trial for allegedly kidnapping two Canadian ladies in Kumasi in 2019 was taking place.
The officer was subsequently rushed to the Judicial Service Clinic which is in the same building as the court. No other person was injured as he was sitting alone at the back when the incident happened.
The incident left the prison officer severely injured with blood oozing from the injured leg, some of which splashed on a wall and the floor.
The discharged bullet also caused damage to the tilling of the floor and the seat in front of the officer.
The incident happened when Atsu Abada, counsel for Sampson Aghalor, the alleged mastermind behind the kidnapping was cross-examining the prosecution’s 11th witness.
The court’s clerk was fixing microphones in the courtroom when the gun accidentally fired.
The presiding judge, Justice Lydia Osei Marfo, had to rush to her chambers as a result of the shooting and came back after about 20 minutes after the incident.
Mr. Abada, who was conducting the cross-examination, indicated that he was shaken and the court subsequently adjourned the trial to March 8, 2022.
Information gathered indicate that the Ministry Police Station, which is just a few metres away from the court premise, was informed and officers were sent to the courtroom to ascertain what had happened.
CJ Responds
Meanwhile, the Chief Justice (CJ), Justice Anin Yeboah, has assured the public that thorough investigations are underway and measures have been put in place to avoid future occurrence.
The CJ in a press statement also assured all stakeholders and the general public of their safety in and around the courts.
By Gibril Abdul Razak