An illegal miner has been sentenced to 60 months imprisonment on charges of assault, unlawful entry, causing damage and threat of death.
Emmanuel Osei, 22, pleaded guilty to the charges and was convicted on his own plea.
Prosecuting Chief Inspector Comfort Baffour-Kyei told the Kumasi Circuit Court one, presided over by Mr Emmanuel Amoh-Yartey, that the complainant Frank Osei is a trader and the brother of the convict's late father.
She explained that the complainant who inherited his late brother is living in the late brother's house at Asuofia near Kumasi, whilst the accused lived at Nkawkaw, Noyem.
She said the convict who thought his father's estate had gone to the wrong person planned to eliminate the complainant in order to get back his father's property.
On November 3, 2008, the convict moved in to stay with the complainant and three days later, the complainant went to his room and met him smoking Indian hemp and advised him to quit smoking the substance.
The prosecutor said Osei after smoking went to a nearby shop to buy a cutlass, but he was refused because the shopkeeper became suspicious.
After trying other shops, whose owners also refused to sell to him, he came home and armed with an iron bar headed towards the complainant's room, where he met a mason employed by the complainant to work in his room.
He therefore decided to kill the mason first for fear of him identifying him later, if he succeeded in killing the complainant.
The mason however managed to escape.
The convict then confronted the complainant telling him that he killed his father and took away his property, so he (convict) will kill him.
He then lifted the iron bar to strike the complainant's head but missed, Prosecution said.
He then pounced on the complainant and gave him some slaps which landed him on the ground.
Osei then lifted the iron bar to strike him again, but changed his mind and continued with the slapping, till the complainant became unconscious.
The convict then rushed to the complainant's room and started destroying things in his room.
When the complainant regained consciousness he run away.
Chief Inspector Baffour-Kyei mentioned some of the items destroyed to include a 24 inch colour television valued at GH¢200 and a rubber pan also at GH¢15.
She said when the convict came out and saw that the complainant was gone, he became furious and started looking for him with the iron bar still in his hand.
The convict then entered a church house close by and disrupted the church service.
He went back to his room for a cutlass he had bought for his brother to take to school and went round looking for the complainant.
When he did not find him, he entered his garden and caused extensive damage to his cassava farm.
A formal report was made to the police leading to the arrest of the convict.
In his caution statement Osei admitted the offence and was charged and arraigned before court.