Richmond Laweh, a Caretaker, has been jailed 10 years imprisonment by a High Court in Accra after his makeshift gate electrocuted a 14-year-old boy at Ampomah, near Ashiyie
Laweh illegally connected electricity to an uncompleted building and connected a copper wire to this makeshift gate on a pathway on two plots of land he was squatting.
Samuel Darko, the victim, who touched the gate to open it, to use the said pathway, got electrocuted.During a summing up, a seven-member jury unanimously returned a verdict of guilty on Laweh at the end of the trial.
Laweh, who is also a Mason, charged with Manslaughter, pleaded not guilty and indicated that he never connected the gate with electricity although he contracted a professional electrician to do the illegal connection on the ground to his abode.
The Prosecution led by Nana Ama Adinkrah, a Senior State Attorney, called four prosecution witnesses to make their case. Handing down the sentence, the court presided over by Justice Marie- Louise Simmons said she took into consideration the fact that Laweh was a first offender, he had been cooperative during the trial.
The Court noted that the incident was reckless, adding “all adults know that no one could play with electricity, and no one could determine the extent of which it could cause harm.
According to the Court, though investigations were conducted, it was surprising that the issue of illegal connection was not investigated.It said if that was investigated the accused could have been charged with illegal connection in addition to the charge of manslaughter.
The Court also noted that the issue could have informed the public about the dangers of illegal connection.
