A washing bay attendant who stabbed his colleague with a knife at La in Accra has been sentenced to five years’ imprisonment by an Accra Circuit Court.
Samuel Arthur, charged with causing harm, pleaded guilty.
The court, presided over by Sedinam Awo Kwadam, convicted Arthur on his own plea.
Arthur told the court that he was sorry and pleaded for mercy.
In sentencing him, the court considered his quick admission of guilt, his plea for mercy, and his display of remorse. However, given the extent of the injury, the court sentenced him to five years.
The prosecution, led by Chief Inspector Daniel Ofori-Appiah, told the court that the complainant was Alfred Adom Adjei, a washing bay attendant. The accused was also a washing bay attendant at Labone.
On February 17, 2025, a witness in the case took his car for washing and handed over the ignition key to the complainant.
Chief Inspector Ofori-Appiah stated that after the complainant had finished washing the car, the ignition key could not be found.
The prosecution said all the workers at the washing bay approached the accused, whom they suspected of having taken the key, and asked him to return it, but he denied any knowledge of its whereabouts.
Arthur took offense and pulled out a 14-inch knife from his pocket, chasing the complainant around the premises, the prosecution said.
Although some of the workers restrained the accused, he managed to catch up with the complainant and stabbed him in the chest.
The prosecution stated that the complainant bled profusely and was rushed to the Police Hospital for treatment.
Witnesses subsequently alerted the Police Patrol Team, who rushed to the scene, arrested Arthur, and retrieved the knife, which measured 14 inches in length.
Investigations revealed that Arthur had taken the ignition key of the customer’s car deliberately to inconvenience the complainant due to a misunderstanding between them the previous day, the court heard.
Upon his arrest, the accused led the police to recover the key, the prosecution added.