Mr Augustines Obour, defence counsel for Eric Kojo Duah aka Sakora alleged killer of two police officers at Buduburam in the Central Region on August 28, 2019, has urged the jury to hear the case with a mindset that they (jury) were lying in bed when robbers forcibly entered the rooms through the window at a time when they had a registered gun on the bed.
According to Mr Obour, they must measure the trial by this circumstance of his narration, as they were about to set a precedent with the case for the entire Ghanaian population.
Addressing the court on Wednesday, November 24, 2021, he told the jury that when the prosecution was reading the address, it failed to indicate to them exactly what happened on that fateful day.
He went on to say that the witnesses who would be called to testify in the case were going to tell the jury what exactly happened that day, and what caused the death of the deceased.
“And what he (the deceased) did to A1 (Eric Kojo Duah) [for] the accused person to pull a gun. It sounds completely abnormal that A1 will take a gun and shoot at two policemen,” he added.
Isaac Okyere-Kumah, counsel for the second accused person, Michael Safo Anim, told the court that while the burden of proof lays at the doorstep of the prosecution, he entreated the jury to work without fear or favour.
“As members selected to represent the entire Ghanaian community in the instance trial, and I entreat you to do your work without any fear or favour,” he charged.
However, the State Attorney, Nana Ama Prempeh, read to the court that Duah allegedly shot Lance Corporal Awal Mohammed and Group Sargent Michael Dzamesi, all at the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service at Budumburam near Kasoa.
She said the Duah was in the company of his friends, using an unregistered Toyota Camry vehicle, and driving recklessly, adding that the accused allegedly shot the policemen when being signalled to stop.
She disclosed that the autopsy reports showed that the policeman died of the shooting and its consequential effects.
As a result, she said, the accused persons were facing four counts of abetment to commit crime and murder.
Madam Prempeh further told the court that the State would be calling six witnesses to testify in the trial, and that the burden of proof lay on the prosecution to prove its case.
