JB ‘Killer’ Not Mad!

It has emerged that Daniel Asiedu, one of the persons suspected to have murdered the former Member of Parliament (MP) for Abuakwa-North, Joseph Boakye Danquah-Adu is mentally sound to stand trial.

This was contained in a medical report after a psychiatric examination conducted on Daniel aka “Sexxy Don Don”.

The Accra High Court on April 14, 2019 ordered the psychiatric examination of the suspect following a request by his lawyer, Augustines Obour.

He had told the court presided over by Justice George Buadi that he believes his client was not mentally sound.

According to him, the interactions he had had with “Sexxy Don Don” clearly proved that he was deranged and as such there was the need for a psychiatric examination to clarify the issue.

“My client can call me and tell me that he is going to be made a Chief at a town in Akuapem so he wants me to come and serve the guests with food,” he said.

The Counsel also mentioned “Sexxy Don Don’s” insistence on a lawyer from the International Criminal Court (ICC) to defend him as another example of why he believed he should be examined by a psychiatrist.

Not Mad

At its sitting yesterday, the court heard that “Sexxy Don Don” is mentally fit to stand trial in the matter before court.

The medical examination report authored by Dr Sammy Ohene, a Consultant Psychiatrist at the Accra Psychiatric Hospital, said the accused is mentally fit.

The report, read by the presiding judge, revealed that Dr Ohene conducted four psychiatric examinations on Asiedu.

“All the four thorough psychiatric examination did not show any sign of mental disorder,” the report stated.

In view of the report, the presiding judge ordered the trial to commence saying “Having been established that Daniel Asiedu is sane mentally, we shall proceed to take their plea.”

Charges

“Sexxy Don Don” pleaded not guilty to three counts of conspiracy to commit robbery, robbery and murder, while the second accused Vincent Bosso, aka Junior Agogo pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to commit robbery.

The court however, was unable to empanel a jury for the start of the trial.

This was because there were not enough members in the pool in the in event of a possible rejection of some of the members by the accused persons.

Kwamwe Owusu, lawyer for the accused persons raising the issue said although he could not tell, there could be some rejections of some of the persons to serve as jurors by his clients which could defeat the process of empanelling the jury.

His concerns were up held by a Principal State Attorney; Mrs. Sefakor Batse who reasoned with Mr. Owusu urging the court not to start the process of empanelling the jury if that could cause any problems to the trial.

The trial judge granted the request and adjourned hearing until July 11, 2019.

What happened?

The prosecution’s facts as presented by Ms Batse, a Senior State Attorney, were that Mr Danquah-Adu lived with his family in a one-storey house at Shiashie, near East Legon, a suburb of Accra, while Asiedu and Bosso lived at Agbogbloshie, also in Accra.

She said Asiedu and Bosso planned to go on a robbery spree after arming themselves with a screw driver, scissors, catapult and knife.

The two, she said, left their base on February 8, 2016, to commit the robbery, but due to a misunderstanding about which house to rob, Bosso parted ways with Asiedu and returned home.

Ms Batse stated that Asiedu then boarded a car to Shiashie, scouted the area and picked out Mr Danquah-Adu’s house.

The MP, she added, returned home from work at about 11 p.m. and retired to bed.

“Asiedu entered the house at about 1a.m. on February 9, 2019 by scaling the wall. He then used a ladder to climb to the MP’s bedroom porch and entered the bedroom through a window, ’’ she said.

The prosecutor further stated that Asiedu started searching the room but the noise woke the MP who struggled with Asiedu.

“Asiedu stabbed the MP in the neck and chest which made him collapse, and later made away with three mobile phones belonging to the MP,’’ she added.