A Takoradi Circuit Court has remanded into police custody a seamstress, Rose Mawusi Fiaku, and a mason, Lawson Lartey, for stealing a one-year-old baby.
They are to reappear on Friday, April 5, 2019.
At the first appearance in court, Rose pleaded guilty whilst Lawson pleaded not guilty.
Rose’s sentence was, however, deferred to enable a pregnancy test to be performed on her whilst Lawson was remanded for his own safety.
The two suspects were brought to the court premises by fully armed police personnel.
Rose Mawusi Fiaku, 42, looked sad and regretful unlike her partner, Lawson Lartey, who looked angry.
The case was first called around 9:30am but deferred briefly by the judge, Her Ladyship Abena Agyin Doku, after a lawyer, Emmanuel Arthur, pleaded for time to be with the accused as he had been approached by the family members of Lawson Lartey to hold brief for him.
The case was recalled around 10:15am, when Rose pleaded guilty to the charge of child stealing and pleaded for forgiveness.
Upon questioning from the judge, Rose disclosed she has a nine-month-old child with her sister in the Volta Region and is pregnant with another.
The court burst into laughter when she quickly added that she had miscarried when the judge asked for a pregnancy test.
Irrespective of this the judge insisted on the pregnancy test before she gives judgement.
For Lawson Lartey, who spotted a jersey of English Premier League club Chelsea FC, his lawyer, Emmanuel Arthur, told the court that his partner had deceived him that she was pregnant for him and had periodically shown him a baby as his until the baby was about four months old when he traveled for about six months.
On his return, Rose brought little Francis Mawusi Ahiagbenu to him as his son. So, he told the court he also went round the neighborhood showing him off as his son, whom he called Ibrahim.
Expressing shock at the turn of events, he said he currently does not have any amorous relationship with Rose.
Even though his lawyer asked for bail for him, the prosecutor, Chief Inspector Veronica Tibson, insisted he should be remanded for his on safety.
She also argued that Lawson has a tendency to travel and might do so but his lawyer, Emmanuel Arthur, countered that Lawson was very safe in his neighborhood as it was his neighbors who had even approached him to represent him.
After the two were remanded, police personnel at the court had to intervene to bring order as relatives and neighbors of Lawson who had gathered outside the court loudly expressed anger at his remand and rained insults on Rose for putting him in trouble.
By Ewurama Smith|3news.com|Takoradi|Ghana