Agona Swedru -- Two cousins, including a nursing mother, who subjected a schoolgirl to what is termed trial by ordeal by inserting a mixture of ground pepper and ginger into her private parts and anus at Awutu Bawjiase, have been sentenced to a total fine of ?1 million by the Agona Swedru Circuit Court.

Princess Kumfo, alias Nkrumah, 23, and Gladys Nkum, also known as Badu, 19, who is nursing a three-month-old baby, will each serve a three-month prison term in default. The court also ordered them to compensate their victim with ?300,000 each. They pleaded guilty to the charges of conspiracy to commit crime and causing harm.

The Presiding Judge, Mr Robert Kofi Krampah Asaase, convicted them accordingly on their own plea and handed them the fine of ?500,000 each.Narrating the facts of the case, Inspector Comfort Darko told the court that the victim, Gifty Agbedivlo, also known as Awo, 16, is a student of the Bawjiase Methodist J.S.S. who lives with her aunt in the same house with the two accused, Kumfo and Nkum, who are cousins.

On May 28, this year, Gifty, on her arrival home from school, was invited by the two accused to their side of the compound house where they all live. As soon as she got there, Nkum instructed Kumfo to lock up the place, after which Nkum declared that before she would count up to five, she (Gifty) should have stripped naked.

Her explanation for that order was that Gifty had gone to gossip about them to their sister known as Theresa Incoom, resulting in a fight between them.The two pushed down Gifty who had obeyed their instruction, held her and inserted a mixture of ground ginger and pepper into her genitals and anus. They thereafter released Gifty who dashed down to Kasoa and informed her father .

Her aunt who was then away later arrived home and not knowing the whereabouts of Gifty, thought she had gone to her mother at Koforidua.She therefore went to look for Gifty at Koforidua but could not find her. The aunt whose name was not disclosed, returned to Bawjiase and the next day, Gifty also returned from Kasoa in the company of her father.

They then went to the Bawjiase police station and lodged a complaint leading to the arrest of the two culprits on May 31.