File of the miner in jail
Tarkwa, Ghana – The Tarkwa District Court One has sentenced Bismark Owusu, an illegal mining operator, to one year imprisonment with hard labour for unlawfully causing harm to a student.
Presided over by Mr. Charles Owusu Nsiah, the court heard that the convict pleaded guilty to the charge of slashing the complainant, Bright Akwasi Aboagye, twice on the back with a blade.
Prosecutor, Inspector of Police Patrick Essien, presented the facts of the case as follows:
On October 7, 2025, at approximately 12:00 noon, the complainant, a student resident at Bompieso in the Prestea Huni-Valley Municipality, was riding a tricycle with a passenger named Ishmael. They encountered a group of individuals, identified as illegal miners, who were holding and beating a young man they accused of stealing gold-bearing stones.
Owusu was among the group. The court heard that the complainant intervened in the assault, striking one of the attackers to stop the beating. The illegal miners, dissatisfied with this intervention, ordered the complainant to leave the scene.
The prosecutor stated that Owusu took particular offence and a scuffle ensued between him, the complainant, and Ishmael. The parties were separated and departed.
Later the same day, while the complainant and Ishmael were at a game centre, Owusu confronted them and indicated that the earlier conflict was unresolved. According to the prosecution, Owusu subsequently attacked the complainant, inflicting two blade wounds to his back before fleeing the scene as the victim began to bleed.
Residents who witnessed the incident transported the injured student to the Bompieso Clinic for medical treatment. A formal report was then made to the police.
Owusu was arrested on the same day and handed over to the authorities, leading to his prosecution and subsequent conviction.
Source: Ghana News Agency (GNA)