Man accused of stepping in front of train in bid to murder toddler

The Herald Scotland

5 hours ago

Court papers state Danquah placed the boy, whom was in his care, on his shoulders and stepped in front of a moving train.
The train is said to have struck Danquah and the boy to his severe injury, danger of life and attempted murder.
Danquah faces a separate charge of culpable and recklessly carrying the boy on his shoulders and thereafter repeatedly attempted to climb over a fence on the M8 public footbridge.
The charge says he attempted to pull himself and the boy over the fence with a total disregard for the safety of the toddler and users of the motorway below.
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This is claimed to have been to the danger of the boy's life, Danquah's own life and the lives of the road users of the motorway below.
A final charge states Danquah, of the city's Lambhill, breached bail conditions imposed on him on August 3 2023 by making calls and texts requesting to speak to the boy or ex-partner Justina Paulaskatie.
A special defence has been lodged which states that Danquah was unable to understand the wrongfulness of their actions due to a mental disorder.
The High Court in Glasgow was read at the start of the trial a joint minute of agreed evidence by advocate depute Michael Macintosh.
Mr Macintosh stated that the train struck Danquah and the boy just before 7.20pm.
The boy was found to have worn a rucksack which had a handwritten note inside of it.
The boy was sustained surface wounds to his forehead, head, back, face and nose.
Danquah meantime suffered fractures to his lower spine and his jaw.
Danquah's former partner Justina Paulaskatie, 26, then told the court that the pair met at work in an Amazon warehouse in North Lanarkshire.
Their relationship ended in February 2023 but they continued to live together.
Miss Paulaskatie told jurors that she began a new relationship with a fellow colleague.
She claimed that Danquah was initially 'okay' but became 'unhappy with it.'
The witness stated that the night before the incident Danquah told her by text message from work to stop dating their colleague.
Jurors heard that Miss Paulaskatie later said to Danquah in person that she would not get back together with him.
The boy was being cared for at Danquah's parents' house meantime.
Miss Paulaskatie told police in a statement: 'I said that Frederick should go to his parents and don't come back.
'He said he loved me and he should have tried harder to make the relationship work.
'He said he wasn't coming back and I thought he meant he was going to live with his parents, not that he was going to kill himself.'
Jurors were then shown a lengthy Facebook post written by Danquah from later that day which the court heard may have been a suicide note.
Part of the note read: 'I should have tried harder, I never knew what I had until I lost it, too little too late I guess, I can't continue to live in this darkness, I guess this is goodbye.'
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Miss Paulaskatie stated that she and her friends looked for Danquah around the Coatbridge area where they lived at the time.
They then reported the Facebook post to the local police station.
Officers later informed Miss Paulaskatie about the incident with the train.
Mr Macintosh asked Miss Paulaskatie what condition the boy was in.
She replied: 'He was lying and he couldn't move his body.
'They didn't know if there was anything wrong with him - he wasn't awake but he kind of was as his eyes were half open.
'The nurse said he could hear but he was in shock - he had a lot of bruises.'
Miss Paulaskatie stated that the boy has since recovered from his injuries.
Jurors heard that Danquah was granted bail and ordered not to contact her or the boy.
The court was shown a lengthy Merry Christmas message allegedly sent to Miss Paulaskatie in which Danquah apologised for what happened.
Gary Allan KC, defending, asked the witness if Danquah looked after the boy well while in his care.
She replied: 'Yes.'
Danquah's brother-in-law Victor Oso, 29, told the court that he met him and the boy earlier that day north of Glasgow city centre.
The Virgin Money worker stated that Danquah had the boy on his shoulders and then moved him to his front.
Mr Oso claimed that Danquah told him to look after his sister then they discussed politics and artificial intelligence.
The pair parted company at 4.30.
Mr Macintosh asked if there was anything odd about the way Danquah was acting and he replied: 'No.'
Mr Macintosh: 'Was he a man in considerable distress?'
Mr Oso: 'Not at all - I took his contact details to discuss his artificial intelligence studies. There was nothing at all.'
Amanda Bryson, 42 and daughter Courtney Bryson, 24, told jurors that they saw a man trying to climb a fence of a bridge on the M8 motorway in the city's Anderston around 5.20pm.
The trial continues before Judge Tony Kelly.