A 20-year-old motor tricycle (Aboboyaa) rider, Kofi Gideon, has been sentenced to six months in prison by the Bibiani District Court for causing the death of a two-year-old child in an accident.
In addition to the prison sentence, the court, presided over by Mr. Lord Delvin Essandoh, ordered Gideon to pay GHC6,000 as compensation to the victim’s mother.
Gideon was charged with dangerous cycling, careless and inconsiderate cycling, negligently causing harm, use of an unregistered motor tricycle, and riding without a license.
He pleaded guilty to all charges.
The court sentenced him to four months imprisonment for dangerous cycling, two months imprisonment for careless and inconsiderate cycling, six months imprisonment for negligently causing harm, four months imprisonment for using an unregistered motor tricycle, and two months’ imprisonment for riding without a license.
However, the court ruled that these sentences would run concurrently, meaning they will be served at the same time.
In delivering the sentence, the court took into account that Gideon was a first-time offender, had pleaded guilty, had already spent some time in lawful custody, and had made a GHC2,000 payment towards the burial and compensation of the victim’s family.
Despite these considerations, the court emphasized the seriousness of the offense, particularly the loss of life, the prevalence of similar offenses, and aggravating factors.
As a result, the court imposed a deterrent sentence to discourage similar acts in the future.
The prosecution, led by Chief Inspector Benjamin Owusu Agyemang, informed the court that the complainant in the case was Mary Hagan, a trader and the mother of the victim, a two-year-old boy who tragically lost his life in the accident.
The accused, Kofi Gideon, was also a resident of Bibiani.
The incident occurred on May 30, 2023, at about 0730 hours.
Source: Graphiconline
