Police frustrates bereaved family: in Ravico hotel drowning incident
Gilbert Boyefio
13/05/2009
The family of the 16-year-old Junior High School leaver, Daniel Borketey, who drowned at the Royal Majesty Hotel, formerly Royal Ravico Hotel, during an inter school leavers party has expressed grave concerns at the manner in which the Kpeshie Divisional Police is handling the matter.
The family has therefore petitioned the Ghana Panel and Justice System Observatory to intervene in the matter on their behalf. Copies of the petition were also sent to the Minister of Interior, Minister of Women and Children Affairs, Gt. Accra Regional Minister and the Member of Parliament for the Krowor Constituency.
According to the mother of the deceased, Helen Kailebi Borkwei, the attitude of the Investigator, Chief Inspector Hansen, in handling the case is questionable, accusing him of feet-dragging and frustrating the family in their quest to find justice. She said it is obvious the investigator has the intention of concealing the identity of the hotel manager for reasons best known to him so that the case would not see the light of day.
"I strongly suspect some deal between the crime officer and the hotel management to bring the case to an unjustifiable end,” she held.
Reinforcing the deceased mother's concerns, a cousin to the deceased, Bortey Kpetenkple has stated in a sworn affidavit that at the last meeting with the police, when the family expressed their intention to attend the next meeting with their lawyer the Divisional Crime Officer became highly infuriated, demanding from the family whether “it was the police who pushed the boy into the pool”. He further alleged that the DCO told them that “they may not even have time to attend the next meeting scheduled for Wednesday, May 13.”
According to him, “the investigator once questioned why the family is making so much noise about a common drowning incident.”
Since the death of the boy, the police have arranged several meetings between the family, the hotel manager and the event organizers. However, the hotel manager has attended the meeting only once.
Mr Kpetenkple, who has attended all the meetings arranged by the police, told The Statesman that the only time the hotel manager attended the meeting; it was called off because the Divisional Commander, Chief Superintendent Dassah, was attending a meeting outside.
Meanwhile, the postmortem carried on the deceased by Dr Marcia Cruz Elegia, pathologist at the police hospital on May 5 indicates that the direct cause of death was asphyxia by submersion.
An inter-schools leavers' pool party for Junior High School students in Nungua organized by Red Lyon Entertainment on Saturday April 25 at the His Royal Majesty Hotel, formerly known as the Royal Ravico Hotel, went sour when a 16-year-old Junior High School leaver got drowned in the
The incident occurred around 9:30pm whilst the children were having fun without any supervision, in the hotel pool. The JHS graduate, Daniel Bortey Borketey, was a student of the St Joseph Preparatory School, Nungua, and was among students who wrote the last paper of the Basic Education Certificate Examination on Friday April 24.
However, management of the hotel has remained tight-lipped about the incident. Attempts by The Statesman to get the hotel management to comment on the issue proved futile as on countless times, the manager and other management staff were said to be in an important meeting, refusing to talk to the paper.
13/05/2009
The family of the 16-year-old Junior High School leaver, Daniel Borketey, who drowned at the Royal Majesty Hotel, formerly Royal Ravico Hotel, during an inter school leavers party has expressed grave concerns at the manner in which the Kpeshie Divisional Police is handling the matter.
The family has therefore petitioned the Ghana Panel and Justice System Observatory to intervene in the matter on their behalf. Copies of the petition were also sent to the Minister of Interior, Minister of Women and Children Affairs, Gt. Accra Regional Minister and the Member of Parliament for the Krowor Constituency.
According to the mother of the deceased, Helen Kailebi Borkwei, the attitude of the Investigator, Chief Inspector Hansen, in handling the case is questionable, accusing him of feet-dragging and frustrating the family in their quest to find justice. She said it is obvious the investigator has the intention of concealing the identity of the hotel manager for reasons best known to him so that the case would not see the light of day.
"I strongly suspect some deal between the crime officer and the hotel management to bring the case to an unjustifiable end,” she held.
Reinforcing the deceased mother's concerns, a cousin to the deceased, Bortey Kpetenkple has stated in a sworn affidavit that at the last meeting with the police, when the family expressed their intention to attend the next meeting with their lawyer the Divisional Crime Officer became highly infuriated, demanding from the family whether “it was the police who pushed the boy into the pool”. He further alleged that the DCO told them that “they may not even have time to attend the next meeting scheduled for Wednesday, May 13.”
According to him, “the investigator once questioned why the family is making so much noise about a common drowning incident.”
Since the death of the boy, the police have arranged several meetings between the family, the hotel manager and the event organizers. However, the hotel manager has attended the meeting only once.
Mr Kpetenkple, who has attended all the meetings arranged by the police, told The Statesman that the only time the hotel manager attended the meeting; it was called off because the Divisional Commander, Chief Superintendent Dassah, was attending a meeting outside.
Meanwhile, the postmortem carried on the deceased by Dr Marcia Cruz Elegia, pathologist at the police hospital on May 5 indicates that the direct cause of death was asphyxia by submersion.
An inter-schools leavers' pool party for Junior High School students in Nungua organized by Red Lyon Entertainment on Saturday April 25 at the His Royal Majesty Hotel, formerly known as the Royal Ravico Hotel, went sour when a 16-year-old Junior High School leaver got drowned in the
The incident occurred around 9:30pm whilst the children were having fun without any supervision, in the hotel pool. The JHS graduate, Daniel Bortey Borketey, was a student of the St Joseph Preparatory School, Nungua, and was among students who wrote the last paper of the Basic Education Certificate Examination on Friday April 24.
However, management of the hotel has remained tight-lipped about the incident. Attempts by The Statesman to get the hotel management to comment on the issue proved futile as on countless times, the manager and other management staff were said to be in an important meeting, refusing to talk to the paper.
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