Drama unfolded at the Agona Swedru Circuit Court on Friday, August 29, 2008 when a man who looked far older than his purported age of 16 took to his heels from the dock after the trial judge, Mr C.A. Wilson, had expressed doubt about his age and was about to decide his fate. Bright Darko and his accomplice, Kwaku Erpah, had initially appeared before the court (then presided over by Mr Beresford Acquah, the relieving judge when Mr Wilson was away on his annual leave), charged with "unlawful entry and possessing narcotic drugs". Darko, who claimed to be a student from Kwashieman, Accra, had pleaded not guilty through his counsel, Mr Alexander Graham, to the four counts and might have thereby won the sympathy of the relieving judge who granted him a GH¢2,000 bail with a surety. On Darko's first appearance before Mr Wilson, who had just resumed duty from his annual leave, the accused seemed much older to the judge who, considering the gravity of the offences, cast doubt about Darko's age. And just as the judge was about to determine what to do with the accused, Darko jumped out of the dock, prompting the court warrant officer (CWO), Constable Francis Cudjoe, and others to give him a hot chase, only to grab him in a thicket about 300 metres away from the court premises. After Darko's re-arraignment before the court, Mr Wilson revoked his bail And the defence counsel, Mr Graham, remained silent, obviously in agreement, as the judge remanded Darko in prison custody with an order that the police should charge him for "escaping from lawful custody" before the District Magistrate court. Darko and his accomplices, Kwaku Erpah and Stephen Fiamekpor (now at large), reportedly broke into a classroom of the Methodist Primary School at Agona Kwamang in the night of April 28, this year and lodged there, only to be caught by Samuel Cudjoe, the headteacher and the local watch committee members the next day. But Fiamekpor escaped arrest, leaving Darko and Erpah to their fate. Chief Inspector H.N. Kofiz told the court that about 8.00am on April 29, this year, Darko and, Erpah were caught unlawfully lodging in one of the classrooms of the Methodist Primary School at Kwamang. When the local watch committee chairman, Kwame Yeboah, and Mr. Cudjoe, the headteacher of the school, quizzed them about their mission there, Darko and Erpah claimed to have come from Kwashieman, Accra, to consult a witch doctor to charm a white man to pay them GH¢20,000. But their explanation sounded intangible and so they were arrested on suspicion and the committee members handed them over to the police. A search conducted on the pair by the police, however, unveiled a locally made pistol, two BB cartridges and a quantity of dried leaves suspected to be cannabis, all concealed among their clothing in their bag. They named Fiamekpor as the one who gave those items to them for sale. Erpah, who also pleaded not guilty to those charges, is still on prison remand. Source: The Mirror