Man, 71, jailed 6 years for pouring acid on son, granddaughter

The Accra Circuit Court has sentenced a 71-year-old man to six years imprisonment for pouring acid on his son and his eight-year-old granddaughter.

The convict, Michael Kwame Martins, pleaded guilty to the charge of causing harm and was sentenced on his own plea by the court, presided over by Mrs Marian Affoh.

Martins was reported to have lost his cool during a misunderstanding with his 38-year-old son and subsequently poured acid on him which also splashed on the eight –year-old granddaughter.

The convict’s son was said to have suffered severe burns on his neck while the granddaughter suffered burns on the check and right eye.

Apart from the imprisonment, Martins was also ordered by the court to compensate his son and granddaughter with Ghc 200 and Ghc 100 respectively.

Family affair

Yesterday’s judgment by the court attracted lots of relatives of the convict who were in court to witness the outcome of a family misunderstanding that had gone bad.

Most of them were in a state of shock after the court announced the number of years Martins was to be incarcerated for harming his own son and granddaughter.

Misunderstanding 

The incident that led the acid attack seems to have been the climax of bad blood between father and son.

Martins and his 38 year –old –son, according to the prosecution, reside in Martin’s late father’s house at Achimota near Accra.

The prosecutor, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Mrs Agnes Boafo, told the court that on April 13, 2017 at around 9:30p.m. the father and son got into a heated argument over who placed soaked clothes in a bucket at an entrance between their two respective doors.

Martin’s son, the prosecutor said, moved the bucket to his father’s doorstep and in the process the contents poured on the floor. 

“During that period, Martins left to go and buy sachet water. Soon after he returned, and without any provocation, he poured acid on his son which also splashed on the eight year-old granddaughter,’’ the prosecutor said.

The matter was reported to the Mile 7 police which subsequently arrested Martins.

The Accra Circuit Court has sentenced a 71-year-old man to six years imprisonment for pouring acid on his son and his eight-year-old granddaughter.

The convict, Michael Kwame Martins, pleaded guilty to the charge of causing harm and was sentenced on his own plea by the court, presided over by Mrs Marian Affoh.

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