The crowd gathered at the Accra High Court, Criminal Division, could not control their emotions as the video footage of the gruesome murder of the Major Maxwell Adam Mahama which had been tendered in evidence by the Police Prosecutor was played at the court today.
The amateur video footage opened with many people chasing a man amidst the shout of ‘thief, thief’ to draw attention and urge several people to join the chase. After some minutes chase, the fair man branches unto an untarred road and the mob catches up with him.
The man veers off the tarred road as the number of people chasing him grows behind him. Eventually, the mob catches up with him and the attack takes off.
Sticks and cement blocks are mainly the “weapons” of the attack. They strike the fair looking man many times causing him to fall to the ground. He still moves slowly on the ground but the attack intensifies. Stones are dropped, one man approaches and grabs him. Punches the man in the head and abdomen many times.”
The man lies motionless for a second. A man in a pink shirt moves closer and stands directly above him. He lifts a stone with rough edges and landed it on the head of the motionless man.
This causes him to move and within seconds his forehead is covered with blood. Another man wearing a black Lacoste shirt moves closer and lifts the man’s two legs. He holds his trousers at the waist level and drags it off him leaving the man naked. Another removed his shirt.
He grabs the man’s feet and starts to drag the body towards the bush. Two versions of this footage was played to the jurors. One had the slow motion effect applied to enable the jurors watch closely.
As the video played, many in the court room could not push back their tears; others also sobbed uncontrollably and were surprised some Ghanaians could heartlessly end the life of a fellow Ghanaian in such a manner.
Supreme Court Judge, Mariama Owusu, who is sitting as an additional High Court Judge on the case took off her eyes off the screen for at least eight times as the 10 minute video was played by state prosecutor, Chief Inspector Samuel Agyakwa who intermittently pauses the video to identify 13 out of the 14 accused persons standing trial.
According to Angel FM’s Ama Brako Ampofo, the Judge and the jury after watching the video, asked for a two minute break.
She then returned to adjourn the case to April 19, 2021 for continuation
