Four teens convicted of attacking prison officers
Four teenagers who were inmates of a juvenile correctional centre in Accra were last Monday convicted by the Accra Circuit Court of attacking prison officers and damaging property of the centre worth more than GH¢15,000 in November 2015.
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A fifth teenager at the centre was also convicted of possessing a narcotic drug.
The four teenagers are said to have reacted violently when officers at the centre tried to retrieve Indian hemp from the fifth inmate.
The four teenagers were found guilty of causing unlawful damage, three were found guilty of threat of harm while the fifth inmate was found guilty of possession of narcotic drugs.
The court, presided over by Mr Aboagye Tandoh, however, acquitted the teenagers on a charge of conspiracy to commit crime.
One of the teenagers who was 18 at the time of the incident was fined GH¢2,400 or in default serve six months.
The court, however, referred the other four convicts (one aged 16 and the rest 17) to the juvenile court for sentencing.
“Due to their ages, the registrar of the court must send their case docket to the juvenile court for sentencing,’’ it ordered.
Unacceptable behaviour
Wielding knives, clubs and stones, the four inmates are said to have chased the prison officers when the inmates saw the officers searching the fifth inmate. The officers were later rescued by their colleagues.
Not satisfied, the four inmates destroyed wooden doors, sinks, windows, beds, water closets, dustbins, electrical fittings and other property at the centre.
The court, in convicting the teenagers, held that their behaviour was unacceptable and very disturbing.
“Without any just cause, they caused damage to the very institution that provided them with shelter and comfort,” it said.
With regard to the attack on the officers, it averred that the teenagers did that to prevent the officers from confiscating the narcotic drug from the other inmate.
“The prison officers had to run for their lives because the teenagers wanted to prevent them from confiscating the narcotics,” it held.
Facts
On November 11, 2015, the prosecutor, Chief Inspector Kwabena Adu, said officers of the centre allowed one of the teenagers to visit a barber’s shop because he was to be discharged from the centre the next day.
The inmate, he said, took advantage and left the yard for an unknown place and returned late in the afternoon.
“He was spotted coming to the centre with a plastic bag by the duty officers. The officers conducted a search on him and found dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp in the plastic bag. An attempt by the officers to retrieve the substance was met with fierce resistance but the officers overpowered him,’’ he said.
According to Mr Adu, the other four inmates were in their dormitory and saw the incident.
“They quickly damaged the doors and windows of their dormitory and got out. They chased the officers with knives, clubs and stones and threatened to harm them until the officers were saved by their colleague officers,’’ he said.
The prosecutor added that the teenagers went back to the dormitory and destroyed plastic chairs, wooden tables, beds, water closets and other items.
