Accra (Greater Accra), 4 March ?99 ? An Accra Circuit Tribunal on Wednesday fined Joyce Van Ess, a block manufacturer, 500,000 cedis or go to prison for three years for stealing a six-day-old baby from the 37 Military Hospital in October last year.

Joyce who pleaded guilty was ordered to pay one million cedis as compensation to defray medical expenses incurred on the baby. The tribunal bonded Joyce to be of good behaviour for three years and, in default, go to prison for six months. The tribunal, chaired by Mrs Elizabeth Anderson-Yeboah, said it took consideration of a medical report on Joyce submitted by Dr J. B. Asare, Head of Accra Psychiatric Hospital. The report stated that her strong wish to have a baby after 18 years of marriage without a child led her to commit the "anti-social act".

According to the prosecution, Joyce, who was staying with her husband in Kumasi, claimed that she was nine months pregnant and came to a cousin at Adenta in Accra "to deliver". The accused visited the maternity ward of the 37 Military Hospital and met Mrs Janet Ampomah, wife of a soldier who had given birth to a male child. The prosecution said Joyce struck friendship with the nursing mother and started fondling the baby. She told the woman that she had sent for some soap to wash the baby's napkins. Mrs Ampomah left her baby on the bed and went to the ladies only to return to find that both the baby and Joyce were nowhere to be found. The prosecution said upon a tip-off, the accused was arrested at Adenta with the missing baby.