Takoradi: Court remands ‘baby thieves’

A Takoradi Circuit Court presided over by judge Abena Agyin Doku on Wednesday remanded into prison custody two accused persons arrested for stealing a baby in the Western Region.

The two accused persons — Mawusi Rose Fiaku, a 42-year-old woman and her boyfriend, Lawson Lartey, 33 were arrested on Tuesday by the Western Regional SWAT team at Effiakuma-Takoradi after they were found to be in possession of one-year-old Francis Mawusi Ahiabenu who was stolen from the mother at the Takoradi Market Circle on Friday, March 22, 2019.

Mawusi Rose Fiaku, who is the first accused person pleaded guilty to her charge while the second accused person pleaded not guilty to his charge of abetment of crime.

Earlier, Mawusi Rose Fiaku told the court that she had a nine-month-old baby at home and was also pregnant; a claim that surprised people at the court with some shouting “liar”.

However, when the Presiding Judge told Rose Fiaku said she would be subjected to a pregnancy test, the accused person quickly remarked “please one of the police officers kicked my stomach causing a miscarriage,” but Judge Abena Agyin Doku insisted on the pregnancy test before the next sitting.

Lawyer for the second accused person, pleaded with the court to grant his client bail.

The lawyer explained that his client, Lawson Lartey claimed he indeed had an affair with the first accused after which she took seed but she subsequently had a miscarriage but Rose Fiaku continued to create the impression that she was still pregnant and had delivered.

Lawyer Emmanuel Arthur further told the court that his client, who is a mason, travelled for about eight months and when he returned he requested to see his son.

“So after three to four days, the first accused brought the victim and told my client that, that was his son. Lartey naively believed and carried the baby in the area telling people that his son is called Ibrahim,” the lawyer told the court.

The presiding Judge Doku, however, refused to grant the second accused person bail and therefore remanded the “baby thieves” into prison custody to reappear before the court on April 5, 2019.

The found baby-boy and her mother, Nana Akosua Bowa were present at the court during the sitting on Wednesday.

 

Source: Citinewsroom.com