A washing bay attendant, who stabbed his colleague with a knife at La in Accra, has been sentenced to five years imprisonment by an Accra Circuit Court.

Samuel Arthur, charged with causing harm, pleaded guilty.

The court, presided over by Mrs Sedinam Awo Kwadam, convicted Arthur on his own plea.

Arthur told the court that he was sorry and pleaded for mercy.

The court, sentencing him, said it took into consideration the plea of the accused (that is, his quick admission), his plea for mercy and remorse.

However, looking at the extent of injury, the court sentenced him to five years.

Prosecution, led by Chief Inspector Daniel Ofori-Appiah, told the court that the complainant was Alfred Adom Adjei, a washing bay attendant. The accused was also a washing bay attendant at Labone.

On February 17, 2025, a witness in the case sent his car for washing and handed over the ignition key to the complainant.

Chief Insp Ofori- Appiah said the complainant had finished washing the car but the ignition key could not be found.

Prosecution said all the workers at the washing bay approached the accused, whom they suspected of having picked the key, to release same, but he denied knowledge of the whereabouts of the key.

Arthur took offence and pulled out a 14-inch knife from his pocket and chased the complainant around the premises, the prosecution said.

Although the accused was restrained by some of the workers, he caught up with the complainant and stabbed him in the chest.

Prosecution said the complainant bled profusely and he was rushed to the Police Hospital for treatment.

Witnesses subsequently alerted the Police Patrol Team who rushed to the scene and arrested Arthur and retrieved the knife, measuring 14 inches long.

Investigations revealed that Arthur took the ignition key of the customer’s car just to cause inconvenience for the complainant due to the misunderstanding that ensued between them on the previous day, the court heard.

When the accused was arrested, he led the police to recover the key, the prosecution said.