Grandmother of East Legon accident victim calls for harsher juvenile sentencing  

Efua Benneh, grandmother of Justine Agbenu, one of the victims of the tragic East Legon accident, is calling for amendments to Ghana’s Juvenile Justice Act 2003 (Act 653) to impose stricter penalties on offenders prosecuted under the law.  

Her appeal follows the sentencing of a 16-year-old boy involved in the fatal collision that claimed two lives. The juvenile received a six-month sentence at the Senior Correctional Centre, the maximum penalty prescribed for such cases under the current law.  

Speaking to journalists after the sentencing, Benneh expressed her dissatisfaction with the punishment. “I hope that measures can be taken to change the law. It is unacceptable that someone can cause the deaths of two people through reckless driving and receive such a light sentence,” she said.  

The case has sparked a nationwide debate on whether Ghana’s juvenile justice laws should be revised to reflect the severity of offences like manslaughter and reckless driving. Many are calling for reforms to ensure accountability while balancing the rehabilitative goals of juvenile justice.