The Juvenile Court in Accra will on Tuesday, January 21, 2025, sentence the 15-year-old juvenile found guilty of conspiring with another teenager to murder a 10-year-old boy at Kasoa for a money ritual.
The court had originally scheduled the sentence for January 16, but the case was adjourned due to the unavailability of a social enquiry report.
The report, which helps the court determine an appropriate sentence, was not ready in time.
Under Section 24 of the Juvenile Justice Act, 2003 (ACT 653), a probation officer is required to prepare a social enquiry report, providing details on the juvenile’s background, the circumstances of the offense, and recommendations for sentencing.
Case Background:
In October 2024, a seven-member jury found the two teenagers guilty of conspiracy to commit murder and the substantive charge of murder.
The High Court, presided over by Justice Lydia Osei Marfo, sentenced the 18-year-old Nicholas Kini to life imprisonment. However, the sentencing of the 15-year-old was deferred to the Juvenile Court in line with Section 18(1) of the Juvenile Justice Act, which mandates that cases involving juveniles be referred to a juvenile court for sentencing if they are jointly charged with someone over the age of 18.
The 15-year-old has since been held in police custody, awaiting his sentencing by the Juvenile Court.
Details of the Crime:
According to the prosecution, the two teenagers consulted a spiritualist for a money ritual, known locally as “sakawa,” on March 29, 2021. The spiritualist, who was said to be located in the Volta Region, reportedly asked for GH¢5,000 and a human being for the ritual.
On April 3, 2021, the accused juveniles decided to use the 10-year-old boy as the victim for their ritual.
The juvenile accused lured the boy into an uncompleted building where the second accused was waiting with a pickaxe club. When the victim arrived, he was instructed to remove a video game from a sack placed in a corner of the room. As he bent down to do so, the second accused struck him in the back of the neck, causing him to fall.
The victim pleaded for his life, asking the juvenile accused to forgive him if he had wronged him. However, the plea was ignored. The juvenile accused struck the boy’s head with a cement block, rendering him unconscious but still breathing.
The prosecution further stated that the accused then used a spade and shovel to dig a shallow grave in the building, where they buried the deceased, intending to deliver his body to the spiritualist.
This case, which has shocked the nation, highlights the dangers associated with money rituals and has led to calls for greater awareness and preventive measures to combat such crimes.
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