John Paintsil to face court for assault of cops, stealing wife’s car
A former Black Stars player, John Paintsil, will be arraigned today for allegedly assaulting two policemen and stealing a car belonging to his wife.
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Paintsil is said to have been invited by the East Legon Police last Tuesday for questioning following a report his wife made to the police that he had allegedly stolen her car.
During the questioning, however, he allegedly assaulted an investigator and the East Legon District Police Commander, Deputy Superintendent of Police Mr Emmanuel Basin-Tale.
Alleged assault
The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Accra Regional Police Command, Assistant Superintendent of Police Ms Effia Tenge, who confirmed the incident to the Daily Graphic, said during the said meeting, the ex-Fulham star got furious and stormed out, claiming that he had bought the car for his wife and, therefore, he had the right to take it back
“As a result, the District Commander instructed the investigator to arrest him and take his caution statement. At that point, Paintsil pushed the investigator down and when the District Commander tried to arrest him, Paintsil punched him in the eye. Additional policemen were called from the command before the player was arrested,” she said.
The PRO added that in the course of the alleged physical assault, Paintsil also verbally assaulted the policemen.
“Unfortunately, the District Commander is seeking medical care as a result of the assault,” she added.
Police station
When the Daily Graphic visited the East Legon Police Station on Wednesday, Paintsil was being ushered from the charge office by a policeman in plainclothes to the District Police Command building.
The footballer, who was in a black singlet over a blue-black pair of jeans, was happily chatting with a group of men as he walked to the building.
Efforts by the Daily Graphic to ascertain whether the former Black Stars defender had been admitted to bail or not proved futile, as no policeman at the station was willing to talk about that.
One policeman, however, said it was only the Divisional and the District Police commanders who could speak on the issue, but “unfortunately both of them are not at post”.
Sympathisers
A group of men, numbering about 10 and including a former Black Stars captain, Stephen Appiah, were at the police station, apparently in solidarity with the ex-Black Stars player.
They too declined to comment on the case.
Paintsil could not be reached for his side of the story.
Another incident
This is not the first time that the former West Ham star has had an issue with his wife.
In February 2013, he was arrested for allegedly stabbing his wife and attacking a neighbour who attempted to rescue her.
The wife, Richlove Paintsil, however, denied that she had been assaulted, claiming that it was just a misunderstanding between the couple.