An Accra High Court has ordered for a hearing notice to be served on Legal Aid for a lawyer to appear and respond to the opening address in a murder trial of a Togolese national.
The trial involves one Lucas Agboyie, a Togolese national, who allegedly defiled and strangled a seven-year-old girl at Atadeka-Zenu in the year 2015.
When sitting resumed today, Mrs Francisca Tete-Mensah, a Principal State Attorney, was to give her opening address before the seven-member jury.
Defence Counsel was also expected to response to the State’s opening address.
However, when the matter was called, the defence counsel for accused was not present.
The court presided over by Mrs Justice Elfreda Denkyi, therefore, adjourned the matter to March 14,2022 to hear the State and defence counsel’s opening address before the trial commences.
Agboyie who is facing a murder charge has been remanded into lawful custody.
The accused is said to have murdered the victim (Ruth Ankomah), a pupil of Zenu, Ashaiman.
On April 19, 2015, at about 0800 hours, the victim’s mother prepared porridge and gave the victim GHC20.00 to purchase bread at a nearby shop for breakfast.
The victim’s mother, after waiting for a long time without the victim showing up, became alarmed and started searching for her in the area but to no avail.
Later, the victim’s mother was informed that the accused was seen pulling the victim into his container.
A search team was mounted, and the body of the victim was found lying in a supine position on an old student mattress with blood oozing from her nostrils and mouth.
The search team arrested Agboyie and he confessed killing the victim and having sex with her.
When the Police visited the scene in April 2015, bruises were found on the neck of the deceased with her vagina swollen while her pants, sandals and dress were lying beside her.
The Police also discovered two wrappers of cannabis sativa, GHC10.00, NHIS Card and anther hospital card bearing the name of Obeng Oscar.
The deceased’s body was deposited at the morgue and an autopsy conducted indicated that the deceased died of consistent strangling.
When he was first put before the District Court in the year 2016, the accused confessed killing the victim and had sex with the corpse.
Agboyie was committed to stand trial at the High Court, but his lawyer filed an application for an order for a psychiatric examination.
After the psychiatric examination, it came to light that the accused was fit to stand trial.
