In the latest update on actor LilWin’s legal proceedings, police prosecutors informed the Asokore Mampong District Court that they are awaiting direction from the Attorney General’s Office before proceeding further.
Following his arrest on Monday, June 3, 2024, after an incident involving a vehicle he was driving led to the tragic death of a three-year-old boy, LilWin was granted bail of GH¢50,000 with two sureties.
The prosecution mentioned that they have forwarded the case file to the Attorney General’s Office and are now awaiting their guidance.
Nana Bonsu Kyeretwie, LilWin’s legal representative, stressed that their future actions hinge on the advice provided by the Attorney General’s Office.
“The prosecution must prove its case for us to have a case to answer before we can rebut any doubt that the police have created in this matter but for now, we cannot speak to anything, We are only waiting for the Attorney General’s advice in accordance with his mandate,” he told the media.
The case has been adjourned to July 29, 2024.
Background
On May 25, 2024, LilWin, allegedly driving at excessive speed, collided with the vehicle transporting young Nana Yaw and his father, Jacob Kofi Ampomah.
Emergency services quickly transported both Nana Yaw and his father to a nearby hospital, and later to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, where the young boy tragically passed away.
Three Kenyans have been accused with trying to transport ants into China and France for export.
The three, a man and his wife and a postal company employee are accused of trying to export the ant species Messor Cephalotes without clearance from Kenya Wildlife Service.
They denied the charges and were freed on bail.
It was not clear for what reason the ants, which were said to be worth 300,000 shillings ($2,135; £1,677) were being sold.
A prosecutor urged the court to expedite the case as the lives of the ants that were produced in court were at stake.
In the US state of Virginia, prosecutors have made video evidence of a black patient’s last moments available to the public. The patient passed away while being held in a mental facility.
A sizable number of police officers and medical personnel are seen pinning down Irvo Otieno, who was shackled and wearing leg shackles.
In connection with the killing of the black man, seven sheriff’s deputies and three medical personnel are accused of second-degree murder.
The 10 suspects in the case were indicted by a grand jury on Tuesday.
The prosecutor released video of the incident to the public on Tuesday.
CCTV footage of the struggle between Kenyan immigrant – Irvo Otieno, police and medics before he died pic.twitter.com/5STIcsvA3h
Mr Otieno, who emigrated to the US from Kenya when he was four, was initially arrested on 3 March as the suspect in a possible burglary, a police news release said.
He was placed under an emergency custody order, used when it is believed that a person could harm themselves or others as a result of mental illness.
A court heard that a primary school teacher wrapped her boyfriend’s body in a carpet and erected a structure in her backyard to conceal it.
Fiona Beal, 49, is accused of trying to confuse authorities by hiding her partner’s body in concrete slabs, wood planks, and bark chips.
Jurors were informed that Miss Beal is accused of killing her partner Nicholas Billingham, 42, and then disposing of his body in their backyard garden.
Plastic bags, debris, cement, polystyrene, laminate flooring, pieces of fabric, and vinyl were also found in the Northampton home, according to a forensic archaeologist.
Prosecutors claim Beal planned the killing, stabbing her long-term partner in the neck with a knife in their bedroom, after telling her headteacher she had Covid.
It is alleged a book found when Beal was arrested in March last year, contained a hand-written note saying she had offered the ‘incentive of sex’.
She is said to have got Mr Billingham to wear an eye mask – and the note is said to have amounted to a ‘confession’ to the killing.
Beal’s barrister has claimed the ‘scribblings’ are clear evidence of a disturbed mind on the part of the Year Six teacher, who denies murder.
Giving evidence to Northampton Crown Court forensic archaeologist Peter Schofield took the jury through photographs taken as Mr Billingham’s body was uncovered during a three-day excavation.
Nicholas Billingham’s body was found buried in the garden of Fiona Beal’s house in Northampton (Picture: PA)It took police three days to uncover Mr Billingham’s body (Picture: SWNS)
He told the court: ‘The information I had was that on the 16th of March 2022 a missing person called Fiona Beal was found in a hotel room by officers from Cumbria Constabulary.
‘Within the room was a journal allegedly detailing the planning of the murder of her partner, Nicholas Billingham, and the subsequent description of the disposal of his body.’
Mr Schofield said an area of interest had been identified by police at the Moore Street property, including a mound covered by bark chippings.
Jurors were shown photographs of the mound in a narrow rectangular area between a fence and the wall of an annexe housing Beal’s kitchen, leading to a set of French doors.
Describing what he found during the dig last year, Mr Schofield told the court paving slabs had been placed vertically, forming a ‘retaining wall’ to the mound.
After listing the various layers of material which were identified and removed, Mr Schofield told the jury: ‘There was a visible mound forming the approximate shape of a human body, which was covered by a rug and also by a carpet.’
Telling jurors how the ‘partially-clothed and partially-wrapped’ remains of 42-year-old Mr Billingham were found, Mr Schofield said: ‘The lower torso and legs were covered by a light blue fabric, possibly a fitted bedsheet.
‘The head end was covered by a yellow-coloured patterned fabric/possible duvet cover.’
Plastic ties had been attached to Mr Billingham’s left wrist, Mr Schofield told the court, adding: ‘The body was lying on its back and it was partially wrapped with black plastic.
Fiona Beal’s defence argues Nick Billingham, 42, was ‘psychologically domineering’
‘These wrappings were secured on the lower legs with cable near to the feet and interlocked plastic ties near to the knees.
‘An item of clothing, possibly a dressing gown, was visible on the upper torso and left arm.’
Jurors were also shown pictures of a knotted hose pipe and a cable found near Mr Billingham’s head, near more plastic ties.
Mr Schofield continued: ‘The partially-wrapped body was sited on top of plywood sheeting on top of weathered gravel, which appeared to be the ground surface prior to the deposition of the body.’
The court has previously heard Beal, who taught at Northampton’s Eastfield Academy, was a ‘thoroughly liked’ teacher.
Her barrister, Andrew Wheeler KC, told the court on Monday that she would argue that she was mentally ‘broken’ at the time of the killing and is guilty of manslaughter but not murder.
Fiona Beal, 49, is accused of killing and disposing of her partner Nicholas Billingham after she called in sick to work and claimed to have Covid.
After a run of infidelity over their 17-year relationship, when one of the women he slept with became pregnant and gave birth to his child, she supposedly thought he was cheating on her once more.
Prosecutors said Beal had stabbed the 42-year-old in her bedroom, bought items from B&Q, then buried him in her garden.
The jury heard she then left a ‘chilling’ journal at a rental property in the Lake District, detailing how she had committed a murder – and blaming it on a dark alter ago she called Tulip22.
The Year 6 teacher was arrested in March last year, after police discovered Mr Billingham’s body under carpet wrapped in a bedsheet, duvet and cable ties and buried in her back garden in Kingsley, Northampton.
The 42-year-old builder had been missing since the end of October 2021, with the jury being told the murder was likely to have taken place on November 1.
Prosecutor Steven Perian KC said: ‘She believed he was cheating on her again.
‘Instead of leaving him, she worked out a plan on how and when to kill him, where to conceal his body, how to cover up and explain his disappearance to others and to explain her own absence from work when she killed him.’
Fiona Beal’s defence argues Nick Billingham, 42, was ‘psychologically domineering’
After the alleged murder, Mr Perian said Beal had ‘carried on with her normal life as if nothing had happened’, repainting the bedroom to cover the blood spatters.
The jury at Northampton Crown Court heard Beal had sent messages from Mr Billingham’s phone following his death, pretending to be him and claiming he had also caught Covid.
She had later checked in to the High Borrans Lodges near Windermere, Mr Perian said, where police first spoke to her.
A fellow teacher at Eastfield Academy had raised concerns with officers after Beal was found to have lied about being absent due to the coronavirus, the court was told.
Forensic officers at Fiona Beal’s house after Mr Billingham’s body was discovered in the garden (Picture: PA)
The prosecutor said Beal told police she had been looking for some ‘some peace and quiet’.
Three days after they left, she sent a message to her family saying: ‘I am so sorry. I love you all very much.’
Police returned to find a suspected suicide note and Beal lying in the bath with her wrists cut. She was then sectioned under the Mental Health Act.
The court heard officers also found a blue notebook, which detailed the planning and killing of a man.
Mr Perian read an excerpt, which said the behaviour of Mr Billingham ‘fuelled my dark side – I call her Tulip22, she’s reckless, fearless and efficient’.
Nicholas Billingham’s body was found buried in the garden of Fiona Beal’s house in Northampton (Picture: PA)
It continued: ‘I started plotting as Tulip22 after he’d gone to bed.
‘I got used to sleeping downstairs and waited for him to go to bed and then got high and let Tulip22 out. Halloween sealed it. He was vile. That night I planned.’
The notebook then allegedly describes how, on November 1: ‘He (Billingham) had been pushing for sex. I encouraged the bath with the incentive of sex afterwards.
‘While he was in the bath I kept the knife in my dressing gown pocket and then hid it in the drawer next to the bed.
‘I brought a chisel, bin bag and cable ties up too. I got him to wear an eye mask. It was harder than I thought it would be.
‘Hiding a body was bad. Moving a body is much more difficult than it looks on TV. I started to believe the cover story.’
Beal denies murder, with her defence arguing it is a case of manslaughter as she was ‘worn down until she was quite literally broken’ by the ‘psychologically domineering’ Mr Billingham.
In the case where Evans Oppong Kyekyeku is being held for allegedly using his daughter for money rituals, police prosecutors are still awaiting the Attorney General’s Office’s guidance on the next steps.
The Businessman was arrested last year in June after he was exposed by the said spiritualist whom he had sent his 11-year-old daughter to be used for the sacrifice.
He is on a provisional charge of Preparation to commit a crime to wit; Murder and his plea has been preserved.
Evans Kyekyeku Oppong, has been granted bail by the High Court in Accra in the sum of GHc500k with two sureties.
In addition to the bail sum, he was to produce two sureties both of whom are to be justified, conditions he has since met.
Oppong, a machine operator, 47, was arrested on June 3 after he was exposed by the spiritualist whom he had visited to kill his 11-year-olf daughter.
The duplicate case docket has since last year been forwarded to the AG’s office while the prosecutors await for it’s advice.
EIB Network’s Legal Affairs Correspondent, Murtala Inusah, reports that the accused who has ever been present since granted bail on August 10, last year, is expected back in Court on Tuesday, January 10, 2023.
Brief facts
The brief facts of the case presented to the court by Chief Inspector Amoah were that, the Suspect Evans Kyekyeku Oppong aged 47 years is the father of the victim (name withheld)aged 11 years.
He said, the suspect has been living in Holland for many years but relocated to Ghana a year ago (2021).
The prosecutor told the court that, in May 2022, the suspect discussed with a friend known as Kwame that he was facing financial difficulties.
Chief Inspector Amoah further told the court that, the friend suggested that the suspect will need a spiritual cleansing to turn things around for him.
He added that the friend later introduced the suspect to one Nana Fosu alias Nana K.K to assist him to see a Spiritualist for help.
He said on May 29, Nana Fosu took the suspect to Nana Adu-Boafo Jnr who is a Spiritualist and a Herbal Practitioner at Oyibi Kon for money rituals.
Chief Inspector Amoah said, Nana Adu-Boafo Jnr agreed to do the money rituals for the suspect and directed him to buy a live python from someone in Kasoa to be used for the money rituals.
“However, the suspect later informed the Spiritualist that he is afraid of snakes as such he will come to him for further discussions on what to do.
“The suspect later had discussions with the Spiritualist during which the suspect suggested human sacrifice for the money rituals.
“The Spiritualist feigned interest and told the suspect to furnish him with the date of births of his last two (2) children to enable him to determine which of them will be suitable for the sacrifice,” Chief Inspector Amoah told the court.
Call to Police
The prosecutor said, on May 31, the suspect rang the victim’s mother to confirm the day, the victim was born and told her that he will pick up the victim to be taken to a friend who had returned from abroad for measurement so that a dress will be sewn for her.
“The suspect furnished the Spiritualist with the date of birth as requested. The Spiritualist then alerted the Oyibi Police about the intended human sacrifice by the suspect and the Police urged him to play along with the suspect so he could be arrested when he produces the child at the Herbal Centre for the said sacrifice,” he told the court.
He added that the Spiritualist later informed the suspect that he had spiritually checked on the date of birth of the two children and that the victim will be suitable for the sacrifice.
He said the Spiritualist instructed the suspect to bring the victim to his Herbal Centre on June 3, 2022.
“In the morning of June 3, 2022, the suspect rang his elder brother to release his car to visit a Herbal Centre for treatment as a result of a car accident he had recently.
He said, that morning around 8.00 am, the elder brother released the vehicle to his son to go and pick up the suspect to the herbal Centre and on their way to said Herbal Centre, they picked up the victim at Amasaman.
Ghana must go bag
“At a spot at Oyibi suspect asked the driver to wait for him and he took over the car. The suspect later stopped and bought three “Ghana must go” bags and two bottles of schnapps.
“The suspect arrived at the Herbal Centre with the victim and she was instructed by the Spiritualist to sit in the Hall whilst the suspect was also instructed to change his clothing on the compound and was later given a white calico to tie around his waist.
“The suspect was then given a concoction to bath and in the course of that the Spiritualist called in the Oyibi Police who came and arrested him and rescued the victim. The investigation is ongoing,” the prosecutor told the court.
Prosecutors, lawyers, litigants and relatives of accused persons standing trial at the Ofaakor Circuit Courtin Kasoa have been left frustrated and wailing in the past month due to the absence of a presiding judge at the court.
This follows the promotion of the substantive judge, Mr Ebenezer Osei Darko, to the High Court and his subsequent departure on Friday, September 30 this year.
Consequently, all ongoing cases in the court have stalled, fresh cases are on hold while accused persons and remand prisoners are all locked up in cells.
A source close to the Court that spoke to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on condition of anonymity expressed frustrations with the situation, indicating how it affected the work of the police, lawyers and all other parties.
The source said the work of the court had been thrown out of gear as various parties trooped in and out without any show.
“The court is really frustrated; we are all frustrated. It is affecting the cases that the police are doing in Kasoa and its environs. Remand prisoners are all locked up in cells and as we all know, Kasoa is a busy place,” the source lamented.
It said since the courts could not be closed, only went to seek adjournments from the clerks at the detriment of the litigants and accused persons.
Relatives of some accused persons are peeved by the situation and had accused the court of subjecting their relatives to injustice by holding them up in the cells unduly, it further revealed.
The source, therefore, appealed to the State to immediately provide the court with a judge to keep it running.
“Relatives are complaining bitterly, the lawyers are not happy and our workload keeps piling up. Honestly, they think the wheel of justice has grounded to a halt here.
“Our appeal is for the State to give us a substantive judge as soon as possible to help us do our work and reduce everybody’s burden,” the source added.
Rapper A$AP Rocky has pleaded not guilty to two charges of assault with a firearm in connection with a shooting in Hollywood last November.
The star, real name Rakim Mayers, is alleged to have pointed the gun at a former friend during an argument.
Prosecutors say he later fired the weapon twice in the direction of the victim, who sustained a minor injury.
The 33-year-old, who has had two US number one albums, could face up to nine years in prison if found guilty.
The rapper, who had a baby with singer Rihanna in May, appeared in court in Los Angeles on Wednesday.
The star was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport in April, as he returned from a holiday with Rihanna. He was released three hours later – after posting bail of $550,000 (£421,000).
Terell Ephron, who is part of the A$AP Mob hip-hop collective, identified himself as the victim and took legal action against his former friend last week – alleging assault and battery, negligence and emotional distress.
Mr Ephron, known as A$AP Relli, alleged that Mr Mayers had “lured” him to an obscure location in Hollywood to discuss a disagreement.
The lawsuit claims that, after a verbal altercation, Mr Mayers “pulled out a handgun and purposefully pointed it in the direction of [Mr Ephron] and fired multiple shots”.
Mr Ephron was “struck by bullet projectile/fragments” in his left hand and required medical attention, according to the court papers. He is seeking at least $25,000 (£20,750) in damages.
At Wednesday’s hearing, judge Victoria B Wilson put a restraining order in place, ordering Mr Mayers to stay 100 yards (91m) away from Mr Ephron at all times, and set a preliminary trial date of 2 November.
Mr Mayers was previously given a two-year suspended sentence for his role in a brawl in Stockholm in August 2019.
As A$AP Rocky, he was one of the biggest breakout stars of the 2010s, earning eight platinum singles in the US, including Wild For The Night, Everyday, LSD and A$AP Forever.
He rose to fame after being championed by Drake, and has worked with artists including Alicia Keys, Lana Del Rey, Skepta, Selena Gomez and Kendrick Lamar.
Last year, he confirmed he was in a relationship with Rihanna, calling her the “love of my life” and “the one”.
R. Kelly has a “dark” and “hidden” side that the public rarely saw during his career, prosecutors said at the opening of his second federal trial.
The R&B singer was found guilty of sex trafficking and racketeering in a New York court last year. He was later sentenced to 30 years in jail.
But on Wednesday, a separate trial on child pornography and obstruction charges began in Chicago.
His lawyer urged the jury not to accept the portrayal of Kelly as “a monster”.
Kelly, whose real name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, faces 13 charges, including creating and receiving child pornography, obstruction of justice and enticing minors into sexual activity.
In 2008, he was also accused of trying to rig a similar trial by bribing and intimidating witnesses.
Prosecutors used their opening statements to tell the jury what to expect over the next four or so weeks, detailing the survivors who will testify and some of what the jury is expected to hear.
That includes hearing from one woman – who prosecutors are calling Jane – who will testify that she appeared in an alleged sex tape with Kelly when she was 13 or 14 and the singer was 31.
According to prosecutors, Kelly made four separate videos with Jane – segments of which will be shown to jurors.
That video was the center of the 2008 trial, however, at the time Kelly and Jane denied it was them in the tape. Neither testified and Kelly was acquitted on all charges.
This trial, happening in his hometown of Chicago, is being seen by many as a repeat of the 2008 trial when he was facing 14 charges of child pornography.
Two of Kelly’s former employees are also facing charges in this trial. Derrel McDavid, his former business manager, is accused of helping Kelly fix the 2008 trial, and Milton Brown is charged with receiving child pornography.
Both men have pleaded not guilty. Mr McDavid plans to testify in court, his attorney said on Wednesday.
Prosecutors allege Kelly and Mr McDavid sent hush money and expensive gifts to Jane and her parents over several years to keep them quiet.
Kelly’s previous trial was highly publicized, and in her opening address, his defense attorney reminded the jury that he deserved a fair trial even if the government seeks to portray him as a “monster”.
“There is no R. Kelly exception,” Jennifer Bonjean said.
“It is true that Mr Kelly is imperfect. It is true that, on his journey from poverty to stardom, that he stumbled along the way. We won’t deny that,” she told the court.
She also alleged that several of the witnesses against Kelly were “criminals” who have “extorted him” and have immunity deals. Additionally, she suggested that the government is taking advantage of a series of documentaries and of social media outrage to prosecute Mr Kelly in a “mob-justice climate”.
This trial in Chicago comes just a few months after Kelly was sentenced in a New York court to 30 years in prison.
Jurors at the six-week New York trial heard how he trafficked women between different US states, assisted by managers, security guards and other members of his entourage.
The court also heard how Kelly had illegally obtained paperwork to marry singer Aaliyah when she was 15 in 1994, seven years before she died in a plane crash.
The certificate, leaked at the time, listed Aaliyah’s age as 18. The marriage was annulled months later.
Kelly is a Grammy-winning singer and songwriter known for hits like Bump N’ Grind, Ignition (Remix) and the hugely popular 1996 anthem I Believe I Can Fly.
Sexual abuse allegations and accounts of his predatory behavior towards young girls and women go back decades. He is still facing state charges of aggravated sexual abuse in Illinois and prostitution and solicitation charges in Minnesota.
