{"id":363299,"date":"2017-10-20T15:13:03","date_gmt":"2017-10-20T15:13:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?p=363299"},"modified":"2017-10-20T15:13:03","modified_gmt":"2017-10-20T15:13:03","slug":"jailing-delta-force-13-wouldve-been-harsh-lawyer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2017\/10\/jailing-delta-force-13-wouldve-been-harsh-lawyer\/","title":{"rendered":"Jailing Delta Force 13 would\u2019ve been harsh – Lawyer"},"content":{"rendered":"
Lawyer for the 13 Delta force members<\/a><\/strong><\/span> who were standing trial for rioting<\/a><\/strong><\/span> at the premises of the Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council, has justified\u00a0the non-custodial sentence for his clients, saying jailing them would have been unfair.<\/p>\n According to Frederick Kankam Boadu, it would have been unfair for the court to have jailed his clients.<\/p>\n [contextly_sidebar id=”rTlZ6iTFkadBAFoFNpAT8U2zCvQ6wUf2″]The Asokwa District Court in the Ashanti Region on Thursday, October 19,\u00a02017,\u00a0 fined all the 13 a GHc 1,800 each, and made them sign a bond of good behavior for 12 months.<\/p>\n Some have suggested that the sentence was weak, and not severe enough\u00a0to deter others who engage in political vigilantism. But their lawyer insists the judgment is fair, and that a custodial sentence would have been unfair.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were charged with rioting, we did not waste the court\u2019s time, they pleaded guilty and placed themselves at the mercy of the court, they showed remorse, they are first time offenders, and there were no aggravated circumstances available to the court. I don\u2019t see why the court should impose a custodial sentence in this case, and put the taxpayer in expense by putting them in prison when they are strong men and can work to fend for themselves and perhaps give them the chance to reform,\u201d he said in an interview on Eyewitness News<\/strong> on Thursday.<\/p>\n \u201cIn my view, the circumstances are such that, it would not have been fair if we were handed a custodial sentence,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n