A district court in Effiduase has granted GHC10,000 bail to seven suspects accused of assaulting a police officer in Kumawu, Ashanti Region.
As part of the bail conditions, they must provide one surety. The accused, Edward Boateng, Evans Addo, Yaw Kusi, Michael Owusu, Yaw Boateng, and Emmanuel Mensah, appeared in court for the first time on Tuesday (11 April).
The bail condition also includes a seventh suspect who is in the hospital and was unable to appear in court due to injury.
Prosecutors told the court that the suspects, all Effiduase residents, were caught on camera in a viral video assaulting the officer at a checkpoint and attempting to take his assault rifle.
G/Constable Sylvester Nana Berhene, the officer, had stopped the suspects who were in a taxicab for a check at the booth.
The prosecution told the court that this was met with fierce resistance because their items were in the booth, and that “they struggled fiercely to disarm the constable, and in the process the rifle discharged, and they fell.”
“The constable received bruises on his face and a right knee dislocation…
“He was rushed to Juaben Government Hospital and admitted,” the court heard.
The suspects have been charged with assault on a public officer and conspiracy to commit a crime, with one other person accused of aiding and abetting.
The prosecution asked the court to remand the suspects in police custody while investigations continued, but their defence lawyer argued for their release.
As a result, the court granted the lawyer’s request and ordered the suspects to be released on bail. Their pleas were dismissed.
The case has been adjourned until April 28, 2023, while police look for another accomplice.
Meanwhile, two police officers are being investigated for misconduct in connection with the incident.
G/Constable Isaac Bolatey and G/Constable Evans Owusu are being questioned for “their seeming failure to rescue their colleague, subdue the attackers and get them arrested.
They were later referred to the Police Professional Standards Bureau (PPSB) for assistance with investigations.
It is still unknown what caused this latest incident, which was captured on video and went viral.
According to other reports, the police officer’s attempt to take a rat carcass from the young men may have resulted in the violent attack.
Reports say the young men were returning from a hunt and had the carcass in the boot of the taxi.
The incident has sparked widespread outrage among the public, who have demanded action.
