Man who registered 15 times fine GHC6,600

April 25, 2012 (Page 3 Lead) The Accra District Magistrate Court Tuesday ignored the plea of insanity from a brother of the 47-year-old man, who registered 15 times in the ongoing Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) exercise and fined the culprit GHC6,600. In default, Emmanuel Archibald Laryea, who also bit the thumb of a police officer, will serve two years, nine months imprisonment. Laryea had registered under the following weird names: Gufhid Quist Jox, Provencal, Qusitjox Danfo Kwetey, Epicurus Ahenu Tarlo, Victus Wilfred Juqwyjbusu, Victor Wilfred Abety Moux, Victor Gloveuched, Victor Wilfred Nampty and Provencal Kwetey Buzim. The rest were: Justice Fred Provencal, Job Maxwell Auashong, Philip Obletey Tackie, Anthony Akote, Laryea Archibald and Emmanuel Nii Laryea. Laryea, also used different ages on all his registration cards. The convict, who had pleaded guilty to two counts of registering more than once and causing harm to a police officer, informed the court on April 20, 2012 in Ga that his brain was troubling him. He was convicted on that day but the court, presided over by Mr. Ali Baba, remanded him till today for sentencing. At the court’s sitting in Accra today, the court sentenced Laryea to 500 penalty units on the count of registering more than once and 50 penalty units on a count of causing harm to a public officer. Each penalty unit is equivalent to GHC12.00. His brother raised his hand when the case was called this morning and pleaded with the court to have mercy on his brother because Laryea suffered from mental illness. According to Laryea’s brother, Laryea was a patient of a mental hospital. He brought out a hospital attendance card in an attempt to prove his claim but the presiding magistrate rejected the plea for insanity and sentenced the convict. The magistrate argued that the claim was not enough to prove the innocence of the convict, who had already pleaded guilty to the offence. The court expressed the hope that Laryea’s sentence would serve as a deterrent to other persons who harbour the prospect to register more than once. The prosecutor, Inspector P. Y. Manu, had informed the court that Laryea was picked up at the Naroda polling station at Sakaman in the Ablekuma North Constituency in Accra on Tuesday, April 17, 2012 at 10:30 a.m. when he attempted to register for the 16th time.