A Bekwai Circuit Court has handed down a seven-year prison sentence with hard labour to a 27-year-old houseboy for an acid attack that left a senior h
A Bekwai Circuit Court has handed down a seven-year prison sentence with hard labour to a 27-year-old houseboy for an acid attack that left a senior high school graduate severely injured at Pakyi No. 2 in the Ashanti Region.
The convict, Ernest Agyei, was additionally fined 500 penalty units, equivalent to GH¢6,000, which the court ordered to be paid as compensation to the victim, Benjamin Asante, a former student of Yamfo Anglican Secondary School in the Bono Region.
Agyei pleaded not guilty to the charge, but the court, after a full trial, found him culpable.
In delivering judgment, His Honour Isaac Apeatu dismissed Agyei’s claim that the acid spill was accidental.
The judge pointed to evidence of an earlier confrontation, concluding that the attack was deliberate rather than inadvertent.
The court heard that tensions escalated during a tile-cleaning exercise involving acid, after disagreements broke out among those present.
The prosecution argued that Agyei acted out of anger and showed no remorse, urging the court to impose a sentence that would serve as a strong deterrent to similar acts.
Earlier, Chief Inspector Christian Amartey told the court that the incident occurred on December 22, 2024, at Pakyi No. 2, where Agyei was employed as a house help.
According to the prosecution, Agyei had an argument with one Kwadwo Tawiah during the cleaning exercise. When he reported the disagreement to Benjamin Asante, the complainant allegedly declined to intervene, stating he did not wish to involve himself in the matter.
That response, prosecutors said, angered Agyei, who proceeded to hurl insults at Asante, triggering a heated exchange.
“In the heat of the confrontation, the accused picked up a container and poured acid on the complainant,” Chief Inspector Amartey told the court.
Asante sustained serious injuries and was rushed to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, where he spent three months receiving treatment.
Following investigations, Agyei was arrested and prosecuted, culminating in the conviction and sentence imposed by the court.
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