A 20-year-old motor tricycle (Aboboyaa) rider, Kofi Gideon, has been sentenced to six months in prison by the Bibiani District Court for causing the death of a two-year-old child in an accident.
In addition to the prison sentence, the court, presided over by Mr. Lord Delvin Essandoh, ordered Gideon to pay GHC8,000 as compensation to the victim’s mother.
Gideon was charged with dangerous cycling, careless and inconsiderate cycling, negligently causing harm, use of an unregistered motor tricycle, and riding without a license.
He pleaded guilty to all charges.
The court sentenced him to four months imprisonment for dangerous cycling, two months imprisonment for careless and inconsiderate cycling, six months imprisonment for negligently causing harm, four months imprisonment for using an unregistered motor tricycle, and two months’ imprisonment for riding without a license.
However, the court ruled that these sentences would run concurrently, meaning they will be served at the same time.
Yaw Nkansah Abankroh Esq., a lawyer present during the sentencing, pleaded for leniency on behalf of Gideon as an amicus curiae. He argued that Gideon did not waste the court’s time, expressed genuine remorse, and that the incident was purely an accident.
In delivering the sentence, the court took into account that Gideon was a first-time offender, had pleaded guilty, had already spent some time in lawful custody, and had made a GHC2,000 payment towards the burial and compensation of the victim’s family.
Despite these considerations, the court emphasized the seriousness of the offense, particularly the loss of life, the prevalence of similar offenses, and aggravating factors. As a result, the court imposed a deterrent sentence to discourage similar acts in the future.
The prosecution, led by Chief Inspector Benjamin Owusu Agyemang, informed the court that the complainant in the case was Mary Hagan, a trader and the mother of the victim, a two-year-old boy who tragically lost his life in the accident.
The accused, Kofi Gideon, was also a resident of Bibiani.
The incident occurred on May 30, 2023, at about 0730 hours.
The prosecution explained that Gideon, who was riding an unregistered tricycle (Aboboyaa), was traveling at a high speed from Atakrom towards the Bibiani District Police headquarters.
As he approached a section of the road near Amanano Rural Bank, he lost control and knocked down Samuel Annor Kojo, the two-year-old victim, who was walking with his elder brother and attempting to cross the road.
The victim, Samuel, sustained serious injuries and was quickly rushed to the Bibiani Government Hospital, where he was unfortunately pronounced dead on arrival.
On July 20, 2023, a post-mortem was conducted by Dr. Kwasi Adu Gyamfi, the Medical Superintendent at Bibiani Government Hospital.
The official cause of death was recorded as Bilateral Hemothorax with Asphyxia, which indicated that the victim died from internal bleeding and suffocation.
Following the accident, Gideon was initially granted police enquiry bail and was required to report periodically to the police.
The case was referred to the Attorney General’s office for further advice.
After the legal advice was received, Gideon was re-arrested and brought before the court on September 26, 2024, where he was formally charged with the offences related to the accident.
GNA/SL
