Woman jailed 4 years for stabbing boyfriend

A 30-year-old woman who stabbed her boyfriend over a misunderstanding over a mobile phone has been convicted and sentenced to four years in jail for manslaughter.

Linda Wodalor pleaded guilty to manslaughter instead of murder after activating Section 239 of Act 30, which allows an accused to plead guilty for a lesser punishment.

She had initially pleaded not guilty to murder, and the prosecution had already called their first witness before a seven-member jury panel.

However, she had an agreement with the State to admit to the offence of manslaughter instead of murder, which was accepted.

Justice Marie-Louise Simmons, the presiding judge of the High Court in Accra (Criminal Division), after listening to both parties, acquitted the accused of murder but convicted her of manslaughter.

“The accused, having pleaded guilty to manslaughter and not guilty to murder, is acquitted on the offence of murder and convicted to the offence of manslaughter Pursuance to section 239 of Act 30,” Justice Mrs Simmons ruled.

She was to be sentenced to a two-year jail term.

However, that agreement, which is subject to the acceptance of the court, saw the punishment doubled to four years, though the defence also made the point that she had already spent six years in custody since her arrest in 2018.

The court established that the accused was 24 years old at the time of the incident and not the 29 that was initially captured.

Justice Mrs. Simmons also said the court considered mitigation factors, including the fact that the accused is a first-time offender and had also reached out to the family of the deceased.

The court also said that the mitigating factors addressed the point that she did not waste the court’s time.

Justice Mrs. Simmons, before passing her sentence, said the court took into consideration the public interest and the sentencing guidelines.

The sentence takes effect from  Thursday, March 28, 2024.

Brief facts

According to the brief facts of the case, the accused person, Linda Wodalor, is 24 years old (now 30) and a cleaner.

The deceased, Bismark Kwame Afriyie, was a driver, and both were residents of North Dzorwulu.

According to the prosecution, on January 3, 2018, at about 10:00 pm, the accused person had a fight with her boyfriend (Bismark Kwame Afriyie), now deceased.

It said that in the course of the fight, she stabbed Kwame Afriyie (now deceased) in the neck with a sharp object.

The prosecution stated that the deceased sustained a deep cut around the neck and bled profusely while shouting at the top of his voice, ‘Linda had stabbed me’ repeatedly.

“The people within the vicinity came out from their various rooms and found the deceased lying in a pool of blood, but the accused person was nowhere to be found,” the brief facts stated.

It added that “quickly, they rushed Kwame Afriyie (now deceased) to 37 Military Hospital for treatment, but he was pronounced dead on arrival by the medical officer on duty.”

The body, the prosecution said, was conveyed to the Police Hospital and for post-mortem examination.

The prosecution stated that, on January 9, 2018, the accused person, Linda Wadalor, was brought to the station by her mother, Veronica Wodalor.

She was then arrested and detained for investigation.