The Asokore Mampong District Court has for a second time remanded two suspects charged for allegedly raping a first-year student of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, KNUST.
The suspects, police officer Lance Corporal Frank Adu Poku and Joel Osei Owusu – a final year student of KNUST were arrested on July 22, 2022, in connection with the alleged rape incident.
Their arrest happened some three days after the said incident on July 19, 2022.
They were first remanded into custody on July 28, 2022. On Wednesday, August 10, 2022, the suspects made a reappearance in court where their lawyers made arguments seeking bail.
Lawyer for Joel Osei Owusu argued that the continuous incarceration of his client based on a mere allegation is a violation of the rights and liberties of his client.
He stated that the case due to its nature will take a long time for it to come to a finality hence the need for his client to be granted bail since every offence is a bailable offence.
The lawyer further argued that his client is a final-year student who is set to write his exams ahead of his graduation and must therefore be granted bail to prepare adequately for his exams.
On his part, counsel for Lance Corporal Frank Adu Poku told the court that his client is a known person who has a fixed place of abode and must therefore be granted bail while he cooperates with investigators in the case.
The prosecution led by the Ashanti regional head of legal and prosecutions, ACP Kofi Blagodzi however disagreed with the defense.
He argued that the police are still conducting investigations into the case and since the Asokore Mampong District Court lacks jurisdiction to grant bail in such a case which is a first-degree felony, the lawyers should seek bail for their grants at a higher court.
ACP Blagbodzi further told the court that he had been informed by the lawyer for KNUST who was in court that the school had commenced measures to suspend Joel Osei as such there will be no need to grant him bail to prepare for any exams.
In his ruling, the presiding judge, Buabin Quansah said there is a need to keep the suspects in custody due to the public interest attached to the case.
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He, therefore, ordered for the suspects to be retaken into custody to reappear after two weeks.
Source: www.ghanaweb.com
