A 40-year-old trader who hit the head of a public servant with an empty crate, leading to his death, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.
This was after a seven-member jury returned a verdict of guilty on Veronica Djoazaa, the trader, at the end of the trial.
Djoazaa, a bar operator, is said to have thrown the empty crate, which hit the head of Anthony Apurum, now deceased.
The incident occurred at Zenu in Ashaiman on October 2, 2021, following a misunderstanding between the two.
The court, presided over by Justice Marie-Louise Simmons, sentenced Djoazaa accordingly.
Djoazaa was held on the charge of manslaughter.
According to the prosecution, the complainant, Anthony Apurum, aged 48, was a public servant who resided in Zenu, Ashaiman, with his family.
On October 2, 2021, at about 7:30 pm, the deceased went to a nearby drinking spot operated by the accused.
The court was told that while the deceased was drinking a bottle of Guinness, a misunderstanding ensued between them, during which Djoazaa picked up an empty Coca-Cola crate and threw it at the deceased.
According to the prosecution, the crate hit the deceased’s head, causing severe head injuries and profuse bleeding.
The deceased made a report to the Police and was issued with a medical form to attend the hospital for treatment.
On the same day, the deceased was treated and discharged and presented the medical report to the Police.
On October 8, 2021, the deceased’s condition deteriorated, and he was rushed to the Tema General Hospital, where he was admitted for further treatment but passed away.
On December 12, 2021, a post-mortem was conducted by Dr. Eric Dumfeh, a pathologist at the Tema General Hospital.
The pathologist attributed the cause of death to blunt head trauma, describing it as “unnatural.”
On the same day, Djoazaa was arrested for investigation.
The court heard that during investigations, the accused was taken to the crime scene where she identified the empty crate, which was retrieved.