Six men who assaulted a 27 year-old unemployed, Stephen Kumson, have been sentenced to 40 days imprisonment each with hard labour by the Enchi District Magistrate court.
The presiding judged, Mr Eric Baah Boateng, ordered the convict’s to compensate the victim with an amount of 1,000 Ghana cedis each.
Bullu Adjei, 48, Alfred Banin Oboye, 49, Kwasi Kah, 42 , Stephen Tandoh, 34, David Amankwa Adjei, 47 and Nana Adu, 24 were fined 1,200 Ghana cedis each.
The offenders, whose trouble did not end there, would serve 90 days in prison with hard labour if they fail to pay the fine.
All the convicts were charged for conspiracy to commit crime, abetment and assault but the court discharged them on count one and they pleaded guilty on count two and three.
Detective Sergeant Joseph Kwadwo Agyare told the court that, the victim who doubles as the complainant lived with his parents at Adumline, a suburb of Enchi in the Aowin Municipality while the convicts lived at Enchi.
On August 10, 2019, at about 11: 30 pm one Antwi Yeboah went to Oboye’s house and complained to him that he met Kumson around Adumline making outrageous and unacceptable remarks about the paramount chief of Aowin Traditional Area.
The following day around 7:30 am, Oboye went to the Omahene’s palace and informed Adjei, who is one of the elders about the alleged conduct of the victim.
Based on the information, Adjei instructed Oboye, Kah and Tandoh to scout for the victim and bring him to the palace for questioning.
Detective Agyare said the three returned to the palace with Kumson and after a short interrogation they claimed he was guilty and therefore agreed to punish him.
They went for a writing desk and forcibly laid the victim on it and Amankwa and Adu held his arms tightly to prevent him from escaping and then Adjei, Oboye, Kah and Tandoh used sizable canes to flog the victim, the prosecutor said.
The victim wailed and pleaded for mercy but this did not deter the convicts and they kept on caning him until a witness in the case who is a broadcaster at AS FM, an Enchi based radio station chanced on the six and appealed to them to release Kumson which they did.
The prosecutor said the victim who sustained multiple injuries on his body, was filmed by unidentified person when the convicts were carrying out the inhuman act.
According to him, the video has since been circulating on various social media platforms.
On August 15, the victim reported the case to the police in Enchi and a medical form was issued to him where he was treated and discharged at the Enchi government hospital.
Detective Agyare informed the court that the convicts were nabbed by the police on August 19.
