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The Attorney General’s (AG) Department is set to proffer charges against a third year student of Achimota Senior High School after assigning the case to a state attorney who is expected in court on March 3, for the accused person’s plea to be taken.

Currently, the 17-year-old student who was at the Family and Juvenile court for allegedly shooting a female colleague with his father’s single barrelled gun in Tema has had his plea reserved and is to reappear on March 3.

Prior to adjourning the case, Her Worship Mrs Dora Gloria Araba Eshun was told by the investigators in the case that the AG’s Department had given its advice on the docket and a state attorney had been assigned to the case.

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The 17-year-old is said to have gone for his father’s gun under a bed with the intent of shooting into the air but ended up killing his friend, Lily Donkor, who was also a third year student of the same school.

At the last adjourned date, Chief Inspector Simon Apiosornu, the prosecutor, had prayed the court to remand the accused person in a remand home to enable the police to complete their investigations.

He said this was in line with section 23 of the Juvenile Justice Act, (Act 653) and that without a proper warrant the accused would not be accepted in the remand home.

However, the defence counsel, Mr D. K. Ameley, prayed the court to release the accused to his parents, who, in turn, would produce him anytime he was needed in court.

Counsel told the court that releasing the accused to his parent was in conformity with the section 23 of the Juvenile Justice Act, and that just as he sympathised with the deceased family, the accused ought not to have been punished before he was ready for trial.

Manslaughter, not murder

The police, he said, should have charged the accused person with manslaughter and not murder as the case was not pre-meditated.

Mr Ameley said the accused person was sent to the Osu Children Home, but was not accepted, hence he should be released to his parents.

The accused person has been granted bail.

Background

The facts as narrated in court were that on January 4, this year, at about 2:00 p.m, Lily who lived at Cantonments, visited her male school mate at Community Eight in Tema.

While there, the prosecution said, the mate went to his father’s room and picked up his father’s single barrelled gun and shot Lily in the abdomen.

On January 5, this year, the 17-year-old school mate told the police that he intended to shoot into the air, but the gravity of the gun changed course and hit Lily.

According to the prosecution, Madam Gifty Billy, a neighbour, heard the gunshot and went to the scene only to see the victim lying in a pool of blood.

Prosecution said Gifty rushed the victim to the Port Clinic in Tema. However, due to the condition of the victim, she was transferred to the 37 Military Hospital in Accra where she died on admission.

The body of Lily is currently at the hospital’s morgue awaiting autopsy.