Parents of East Legon accident teen fined GH₵12,000 for negligence  

The Family and Juvenile Court in Accra has fined Bishop Salifu Amoako and his wife, Mouha Amoako - parents of the 16-year-old boy responsible for the tragic East Legon crash, GH₵12,000 for failing to properly control their son.

The court also required the parents to sign an undertaking pledging to ensure their son’s proper upbringing. In addition, Bishop Amoako was ordered to pay over GH₵8,000 to cover property damages, including an ECG light pole destroyed during the crash.  

Court ruling 

The sentencing came after the boy, initially pleading not guilty to eight charges including manslaughter, negligent driving, and driving without a licence, changed his plea to guilty. Presiding Judge Bernice Mensimah Ackon sentenced the juvenile to six months at the Senior Correctional Centre, the maximum penalty under the Juvenile Justice Act 2003 (Act 653).  

As part of his sentencing, the boy must refrain from driving until he reaches the legal driving age of 18 and report weekly to probation officers.  

Prosecution’s case

Assistant State Attorney Ebenezer Yaw Acquah outlined that despite the juvenile’s lack of a driver’s licence, his parents had permitted him to drive their vehicles regularly. On October 12, 2024, during a birthday party thrown for the boy, he obtained the keys to his mother’s Jaguar F-Pace Sport from a personal assistant, Linda Bonsu Bempah.  

The boy, along with a friend, drove recklessly in a convoy of three SUVs through East Legon. At the Dzane-Ashie Road, he accelerated and collided violently with an Acura at a T-junction on Mensah Wood Avenue. The collision resulted in both vehicles catching fire, claiming the lives of two 12-year-old girls in the Acura, while the driver and a toddler managed to escape with help from bystanders.