Kasoa Ritual Killing: Juvenile Sentenced to 12 Months in Correctional Centre

A 15-year-old boy has been sentenced to 12 months in a correctional centre after being found guilty of conspiring with another teenager to murder a 10-year-old boy in Kasoa for money rituals.

The juvenile will serve his sentence at the Senior Correctional Centre.

Before receiving his sentence, the emotional convict pleaded with the court for forgiveness, expressing remorse:
“It was not my intention to kill my dear friend or end his life in this way. I pray the court forgives all my sins and gives me a second chance.”
He also appealed to the deceased’s father, saying, “I have played with Ishmael (the deceased) for a very long time. I never planned to kill him. It was the devil.”

Presiding Judge Bernice Mensimah Ackon noted that the juvenile, who was arrested in April 2021, would turn 19 this year. The judge explained that the boy had been on remand for three years and two months, and under the Juvenile Justice Act 2003 (Act 653), he had effectively served a three-year sentence.

However, due to the seriousness of the offence and the juvenile’s stated desire to learn a technical trade after dropping out of school in Basic 6, the court decided to sentence him to an additional 12 months at the Senior Correctional Centre to acquire vocational skills.

Background
In October of the previous year, a seven-member jury found the two teenagers guilty of conspiracy to commit murder and the murder itself. The High Court, presided over by Justice Lydia Osei Marfo, sentenced the other teenager, 18-year-old Nicholas Kini, to life imprisonment.