A 29-YEAR-OLD farm labourer, Kwadwo Kusasi, who woke up from a nightmare and allegedly butchered his four-year-old daughter, Afua Kusasi, has been remanded in prison custody.

Kusasi initially sought to kill his wife Azuma Kusasi, for being a witch, but substituted his daughter Afua when Azuma sneaked out of the house.

The accused, who lives at Acquaye-Allah village in the Aowin-Suaman District of the Western Region, is further alleged to have sacrificed two dogs and two fouls after the incident.

Prosecuting, Police Inspector Constance Addo told the court, presided over by Mr Isaac Lartey Young, that Kusasi lives with his wife, Azuma Kusasi, and their two children at Acquaye-Allah.

She said on January 13, 2003, at 1.30 a.m while the suspect was asleep alone in a room, he suddenly started shouting in his sleep.

Inspector Addo said the piercing noise of the suspect awakened his wife, who rushed to her husband’s room to find out what was wrong with him. According to the prosecutor, Kusasi became offended and accused his wife of being a witch.

Inspector Addo said Kusasi subsequently instructed his wife to leave his house or risk being butchered together with his children. According to inspector Addo, Azuma became afraid and fled with their younger daughter to complain to the Odikro of the village.

Inspector Addo said when Kusasi later went to his wife’s room to carry out his threat, he found his four-year-old daughter asleep.

She said Kusasi pounced on his daughter and butchered her into pieces after which he killed the two fouls and two dogs. She said the Odikro mobilised the youth in the village and arrested Kusasi.