By Beatrice Oppon and Priscilla Owusu Ansah
One of the two teenagers (at the time of arrest) who killed a 10-year-old boy for rituals at Kasoa Coca-Cola in the Central Region, Nicholas Kini, has been sentenced to life imprisonment by the Accra High Court.
The other boy has been referred to the Juvenile Court for sentencing.
The Court said it lacked jurisdiction to pronounce sentencing on him, who at the time of committing the murder was fifteen years old and therefore a juvenile.
Justice Lydia Osei Marfo ordered that he remain in police custody until the Juvenile Court deals with him. The jury unanimously found the two boys guilty of conspiracy and murder.
The judge, Justice Lydia Osei Marfo, bemoaned the lack of parental control, which has led to the rising tide in social vices. She said when parents neglect their children, society pays the price with an increase in crime.
Before the jury was retired, the prosecution, Defence Lawyers and the Judge took turns to address the panel.
The State Attorneys urged the jury to return a guilty verdict against the two teenage boys who murdered the ten year old boy on the morning of April 3, 2021. The two were fifteen and eighteen years old at the time the offence was committed. The then-15-year-old boy confessed to the crime, but Nicholas Kini claimed innocence throughout the trial.
Addressing the jury, State Attorney Nana Adoma Osei said the convicts intentionally caused the death of Ismael Mensah Abdallah by unlawful harm and should be found guilty on both counts of conspiracy and murder.
She said the two lured the deceased into an uncompleted building after tricking him to believe that they had a video game. After luring him to the said building, the juvenile told the deceased to take the video game from a sack. When the deceased bent to collect the sack, Nicholas, who laid ambush in the same building, hit his head with a stick. They further used a cement block to hit him and later buried him in the building.
They had initially planned to kidnap the deceased and take him to a ritualist but were unsuccessful. The prosecution said the juvenile was remorseful and confessed to the crime, unlike Nicholas. Madam Osei urged the jury to believe the testimonies of the prosecution witnesses, submitting that the prosecution has been able to adduce enough evidence to establish the guilt of the two boys. In his address to the jurors, Lawyer for the juvenile Samuel Attuah, said his client has confessed to the crime and pleaded that the panel return a verdict of not guilty.
Lawyer for the second convict, Lawrence Boapong, said Nicholas denied the charges and told the court that he was not at the crime scene. The lawyer said the burden on the prosecution to prove the guilt of his client failed. Mr Boapong further submitted that the confession statement of the juvenile against his client cannot be used against him.
Meanwhile, Spokesperson for the deceased family, Harrison Mensah, said the family is satisfied with the verdict of the court, and this could serve as a deterrent.
Counsel for Nicholas, Kini Lawrence Boapong, said the legal team will study the judgment and consider an appeal if there is merit in it. The jury has since been discharged.