A security guard, Alhassan Abdul Rahuf, has been sentenced to 15 years imprisonment by an Accra Circuit Court for unlawfully entering a woman’s home and stabbing her twice in the abdomen with a meat fork.
Initially pleading not guilty to charges of unlawful entry and causing harm, Rahuf was found guilty by the presiding judge, Isaac Addo, based on the evidence presented during the trial.
The judge noted that the victim had four stab wounds, indicating that she had been stabbed twice with the two-toothed meat fork.
Consequently, on June 14, 2023, the court imposed a 15-year jail term with hard labour for unlawful entry and seven years for causing harm. These sentences are to run concurrently and be served at the Nsawam Prison.
According to the facts presented in court by Chief Inspector Jonas Lawer, the complainant, Rita Owusu, is the Facility Manager of Arabella residence at Cantonments, Accra, and the victim is a resident of the facility. Rahuf, the convict, was employed by Protea Coin Security Company for the facility.
On April 28, 2023, while on duty, Rahuf sought permission from his supervisor to use the washroom but never returned. Around 1 p.m. the following day, Rahuf suddenly appeared naked in the victim’s bedroom while she was getting dressed after bathing.
In an attempt to stop her screams for help, Rahuf grabbed a knife and the meat fork from the kitchen, subsequently stabbing the victim.
Despite being injured, the victim managed to flee the room, while Rahuf escaped by cutting the electric fence wire and scaling the wall.
A neighbour quickly took the naked victim to the police hospital, where she received treatment. Chief Inspector Jonas Lawer further revealed that Rahuf had entered the victim’s apartment the previous day through a window in her children’s playroom while she was away.
Rahuf then changed into attire belonging to the victim’s husband, hid himself, and slept in the apartment overnight. Following his arrest at a nearby construction site, Rahuf admitted to the offence in his caution statement and led the police to retrieve his security uniform from the victim’s room.
During the trial, the prosecution presented evidence and called witnesses, while Rahuf defended himself without presenting any witnesses. In his defence, Rahuf claimed he was feeling hungry and weak and intended to buy food but was unable to find any.
He stated that he broke into the victim’s house to rest, and when confronted by her, he grabbed the weapon to threaten her but accidentally stabbed her instead.
However, the judge emphasised that the nature of the offences demonstrated premeditation, dismissing Rahuf’s claims of self-defence or accident.
The judge noted that if Rahuf were truly weak, he would not have been able to inflict such deep wounds on the victim or scale a wall.
Additionally, although Rahuf was a first-time offender, the judge pointed out that as a security guard, his responsibility was to protect lives and property, which he had clearly failed to do in this case.