Crime & Punishment of Monday, 28 March 2011

Source: GNA

Mother and son-in-law arrested for abetment of fatal abortion

Aflao, March 28, GNA - Paulina Agborku, 47 and, Yawtse Kwashie, 30, mother and husband respectively of Abigail Agborku, 28, who died in a botched illegal abortion, have been arrested by the Aflao Police. "Dr" Efo Atsu, a self-styled medical doctor, said to have carried out the illegal abortion, is however on the run. Paulina Agborku and Yawtse Kwsahie have been granted bail in the sum of 600 Ghana cedis each with three sureties by the Aflao Circuit Court.

Their pleas were not taken and would come back to court on April 19 this year. Sergeant Stepehn Wuni, a Detective Police, told the court presided over by Francis Obiri that Abigail lived with her husband, Kwashie, with their three children aged 6, 3 and 2. He said Paulina insisted on the abrogation of the marriage between Abigail and Kwashie but realized in January year that her daughter was about four months pregnant and demanded that the pregnancy be terminated.

Sgt Wuni said Kwashie gave 90 Ghana cedis to Abigail and directed her to 93Dr" Atsu to undergo an abortion. He said the abortion developed complications the following day and Atsu was called in from Klikor Agbozume to Adafienu where he administered some infusions on Abigail but she fell into a coma and was taken to the Ketu South District Hospital at Aflao. Mr Wuni said the Hospital referred Abigail to the Volta Regional Hospital in Ho where she died on January 27. He said Paulina failed to submit a note from the Ketu-South District Hospital to the Police for investigations and also failed to honour schedules with the Police which could have helped in arresting Atsu.

Mr Wuni said some unidentified persons from the Agborku family removed the deceased's body from the Volta Regional Hospital in Ho to the Saint Anthony's Hospital morgue at Dzodze where it was embalmed thus damaging clues to the cause of death. He said investigations were continuing. 28 Mar 11