Accra, June 22, GNA - Amaglo Efo-Yao, a French Teacher of Mother Mary's School at South Odorkor, who allegedly induced pupils of the school to lick his blood during trial by ordeal on Wednesday appeared at a Circuit Court in Accra. The Court did not take the plea of Amaglo charged with unlawful trial by ordeal and remanded him into Police custody to reappear on June 28.

Prosecuting, Superintendent of Police (SP) Elizabeth Alormatu told the Court that the Police had not completed investigations and, therefore, needed more time. Superintendent Alormatu noted that the accused being a Teacher could use his authority to hamper investigations. She said the Police wanted Amaglo to undergo HIV/AIDS test. Mr J. K. Yeboah, a Lawyer and a friend to the Court, urged the Court not to let the publicity given to the case influence it. He said HIV/AIDS test could be conducted in 24 hours by Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital and 37 Military Hospital or any other reputable laboratory and stressed that the accused person was entitled to bail.

The fact of the case was that on June 16, this year, two female tutors reported that someone had stolen their 10 euros and 78,000 cedis from their bags. Staffs of the school held a meeting and agreed to conduct a search on pupils at the preparatory level but they did not find the money. While pondering on whether to extend the search to the Junior

Secondary School pupils, Amaglo assembled some of the pupils without any notice of the school authorities, cut his right leg with a blade and used a black stone to wipe the blood. Amaglo, thereafter, asked the pupils to lick the blood from the stone. He further told the pupils that if the thief failed to confess, he or she would have his or her intestines cut in the manner he used the blade to cut himself.

This did not go down well with some of the pupils, who reported the matter to their parents. On the night of June 15 and June 16 respectively, the Director of the School received a series of calls and complaints on the matter. When the Director of the School contacted the Headmaster on the calls, he said he had not received any complaint. The School Authorities held a meeting with some parents to enable them to make their complaints after which the Headmaster reported the matter to the Police, who arrested the accused.