Yao Wlako, the suspect in a robbery at Ho Area 51 in the Volta Region, urinated profusely in the dock on Tuesday, April 18, 2023, when he was arraigned before the Ho Circuit Court.
The urine was so abundant that it filled the dock and flowed into the courtroom and adjoining corridor, forcing some individuals to exit the courtroom and corridor in order to escape the odor.
Wlako was one of the two accused individuals who allegedly broke into the home of a married couple in Ho Area 51, robbed them at gunpoint of their possessions, tied them up, and burned their bodies with a hot pressing iron.
Wlako, 30, and Emmanuel Boni, 24, his alleged accomplice, were in the dock.
Together, they were charged with conspiracy to commit robbery, robbery, causing unlawful damage, unlawful entry, and causing bodily injury. Both parties entered not guilty pleas on all five counts.
Wlako urinated while their pleadings were being recorded, soaking his slacks.
Chief Inspector Agnes Ahiable, who represented the republic, informed the court presided over by Mr. Felix Datsomor that the incident occurred on March 13, this year, at approximately 1:30 a.m.
Wlako resided in Agbogbloshie in Accra, while Boni resided in Peki-Avetile in the Volta Region, according to the prosecution.
On the eve of the robbery, according to the prosecutor, the two males met at Peki-Avetile before traveling to Ho.
She stated that the suspects entered the couple's home while they were sleeping with their infant, and that Wlako was armed with a firearm.
According to the prosecutor, the men cut the window netting but realized the windows were fortified, so they used a screwdriver to open the security door in the kitchen's rear wall.
They then entered the bedroom, where Wlako firmly positioned the man on the bed.
The prosecutor stated that after a short time, Wlako took up the pressing iron he had heated earlier in the living room and burned the man's arms, shoulders, and back, as well as those of the man's wife, who awoke during the attack.
Also, they allegedly burned the woman's thigh with the pressing iron.
"The two men then cut the iron's cord and used it to bind the man's legs, while they used a sponge to bind the woman's arms from behind." The couple was then dragged into the restroom and confined inside, according to Chief Inspector Ahiable.
According to the prosecutor, the suspects then ransacked the residence and stole a laptop worth GH8,000, an iPhone worth GH13,000, a Samsung tablet worth GH6,000, and a Techno phone worth GH200.
The armed men also stole GH10,000 worth of jewelry and GH7,000 worth of a gold watch, as well as GH1,800 worth of additional watches, GH2,500 worth of a high-definition video camera, and GH7,000 in currency, according to the prosecutor.
She added that the accused left with their loot, but Boni left his mobile phone behind.
The prosecutor stated that the defendants returned to the residence within 10 minutes to search for the phone, but were unsuccessful.
The following morning, the man reported the incident to the Area 51 Police and turned over the mobile phone that the suspect had left behind.
The prosecutor informed the court that Wlako was apprehended at his hideout in Agbogbloshie and Boni was apprehended in Peki-Avetile following intelligence gathering and based on the information on the mobile phone left behind by the suspects.
The prosecution stated that the accused persons' iPhone 13 Pro Max, Samsung tablet, jewelry, video camera, and Techno phone were recovered.
Following their apprehension, the victims identified Wlako and Boni as the robbers, according to Chief Inspector Ahiable.
They also identified the recovered items as having been stolen by the accused.
According to the prosecution, Wlako and Boni confessed to robbing the couple during interrogation.
Additionally, Boni confessed to the police that the cell phone left behind was his.
The court remanded the defendants to prison until their next court appearance on May 3, this year.