A 29-year-old shop manager has been put before the Sowutuom District Court for allegedly causing the death of one Shadrack Allu at West Hills Mall, at Weija in Accra. 

Charged with murder, Kwame Osei Boafo’s plea was not taken.  

The Court presided over by Mr. Stephen Tabiri has remanded Boafo into police custody to reappear on February 16.

The Defence Counsel, however, disputed the facts as presented by the Prosecution, saying the case bordered on “causation”, which could not be attributed to his client.

The Counsel contended that a postmortem report would make things clearer for his clients as the facts suggested that the deceased struggled with a certain policeman over a black polythene bag.

According to the defence counsel, a taser the accused person is alleged to have used on the now deceased Shadrack was not even functional when it was tried on the accused after his arrest.

The facts as narrated by Inspector M. Kwakye were that the complainant, Bernard Barnor Denkyi, was an Operations Manager of West Hills Mall, located at Weija.

It said on January 30, this year, Police Sergeant Daniel Abeiku of the Visibility Unit of the Ghana Police Service, Headquarters, was detailed to the said Mall.

The Prosecution said Sgt Abeiku saw Shadrack Allu, aged 32, now deceased, and one Ibrahim Seshi, a witness in the case, wearing backpacks.

It said Allu and Seshie’s movement became suspicious and the Police called Allu so he could search his backpack.

The Prosecution told the court that Allu opened his backpack, removed “something wrapped in a black polythene and put it in his back pocket and started running outside”.

It said Sgt Abeiku pursued Allu and arrested him.

However, he struggled with the Policeman when he was being handcuffed. The deceased in the process took the said wrapped item from the polythene bag and swallowed it.

The prosecution said Boafo, who saw the incident, rushed to the scene and removed his personal taser and “shocked the deceased.”

“The deceased fell unconscious as a result and was rushed to the Somotech Hospital within the Mall for treatment, but he was pronounced dead on arrival by the medical doctor on duty.”

Prosecution said Boafo was arrested and his taser was retrieved.

During interrogation, Boafo told the Police that he bought the taser for self defence.

The Prosecution said the body of Allu was carefully inspected but no physical marks of assault were found.  

According to the Prosecution, the body of Allu had since been deposited at the Police Hospital for preservation and autopsy, while investigations continued.