Woman who hit man with empty crate resulting in his death jailed 10 years

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’ imprisonment. 

This was after a seven-member jury returned a verdict of guilty on Veronica Djoazaa, the trader, at the end of the trial.

Djoazaa, who is a bar operator, is said to have thrown the empty crate which hit the head of Anthony Apurum, now deceased.

The incident is said to have 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.

The fact of the prosecution is that the complainant Anthony Apurum aged 48, now deceased, was a public servant and he resided in Zenu, Ashiaman, with his family.

Prosecution said on October 2, 2021, at about 7:30 pm, the deceased went to a nearby drinking spot operated by the accused, now convict.

The court was told that while the deceased was drinking his bottle of Guinness, a misunderstanding ensued between them, during which Djoazaa picked up an empty Coca-Cola crate and threw it at the now deceased.

According to the Prosecution, the empty Coca-Cola crate hit the head of the deceased, and he sustained severe head injuries and he bled profusely.

Prosecution said the deceased made a report to the Police and he was issued with a police medical form to attend hospital for treatment.

The same day, prosecution said he was treated and discharged, and he 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 on.

Prosecution said on December 12, 2021, a postmortem was conducted on the body of the deceased by Dr Eric Dumfeh, a pathologist at the Tema General Hospital.

The pathologist attributed the cause of death to Blunt Head Trauma among others and described his death as “unnatural.”

Prosecution said on the same day, Djoazaa was arrested for investigations.

The court heard that during investigations, the accused was taken to the crime scene where she identified the empty crate, and it was retrieved.

Source: Graphic.com.gh