Rosemond Nyampong's Murder trial: Judge requests legal services for suspect

By: Benjamin Xornam Glover / Daily Graphic / Ghana | Unpublished (February 13, 2014 A Tema Magistrate Court has adjourned hearings into the murder of Rosemond Nyampong, a worker of Stanbic Bank who was killed in her house at Baastona in Accra. At its fourth sitting on the case on yesterday (Thursday) the court presided over by Mr Isaac Adjei remanded the suspect, Abraham Baah Kwame Oyortey in prison custody to re-appear in court on March 13, 2014. Provisional Murder Charge 25-year-old Abraham Baah Kwame Oyortey, a welder, was provisional charged with murder when he made his first appearance in court on December 12, 2013 and another on December 23, 2013. On January 13, 2014, he made is third appearance in court but was remanded in prison custody. Thursday’s hearing was the fourth time the accused person was appearing in court. However when the case was called, Police Prosecutor, Inspector Cecelia Mensah told the court that a duplicate docket has been forwarded to the Attorney General’s office and they were waiting for advice. She therefore requested for a month’s adjournment to which the Presiding Judge obliged. Pro bono At the request of the Presiding Judge, Mr Charles Kwesi Acheampong,a lawyer who was present in court accepted to offer legal services to the accused person pro bono. Pro bono legal work is charity work. It is done by those with a particular expertise -- lawyers, paralegals, investigators -- on behalf of those who cannot afford to help themselves. According to the Presiding Judge, the accused person is entitled to Counsel stressing that “this is a first degree felony and he could be sentenced to death if convicted” Mr. Acheampong initially declined the invitation by the judge to offer pro bono services arguing that he is not abreast with the facts of the case adding that sometimes such murder cases can travel very long and with resource constraints, it will be a difficult. However, after a few minutes accepted to take up the case, to which the Presiding Judge expressed his appreciation. The 32-year-old, Rosemond Nyampong, until her death, was a disbursement officer at the head office of the Stanbic Bank. She was found dead in her home at Baatsona in Accra after she had gone missing for a while. Her family members found her body in a pool of blood on November 21, 2013 after she had failed to report for work that fateful day. Arrest The suspect, Abraham Baah Kwame Oyortey, was arrested from his hideout at Krobo Odumase in the Eastern Region upon a tip-off, with Ms Nyampong’s vehicle in his possession. Some other items belonging to the deceased, including a television set, a DVD player, a sound system and three speakers, were retrieved from the suspect’s residence, which was a few blocks from the deceased’s house. -End- Quick Read:  The suspect in the Rosemond Nyampong murder case has been remanded in Prison Custody  He will reappear on March 13, 2014  Meanwhile, a lawyer has offered to offer legal services to the accused person pro bono at the request of the Presiding Judge.