Accra (Greater Accra) 16 Nov. '98

JoyceVan Ess, a 40-year-old block maker at Takoradi, has appeared before an Accra circuit tribunal charged with stealing a six-day-old baby boy. She pleaded not guilty to the charge and was granted ten million cedis bailwith one surety until November 30. With her in the dock were Emmanuel Duku Van Ess, 46, a staff of the GhanaCo-operative Bank, Kumasi, Joyce's husband and Esi Asiedu, 42, a baker in Accra, charged with aiding and abetting Joyce to steal a child. They also pleaded not guilty and were granted five million cedis bail each with a surety to reappear on the same day. The tribunal, chaired by Mrs Anderson Yeboah, ordered that Joyce and Esi should report to the police CID headquarters, Accra, every Monday while Duku Van Ess, should report to the Kumasi Police every Monday until the case ends.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Elizabeth Allando, told the tribunal thatMrs Janet Ampomah, wife of Corporal Fareed Ampomah, of the Ghana Armed Forces, gave birth to a baby boy on October 24, this year but six days later, the baby was stolen from the ward at the Military Hospital.

DSP Allando said the matter was reported to the Police, whose investigationsrevealed that Joyce had married for 17 years without a child. Somewhere in December, last year, Joyce told her husband that she was pregnant and on October 27, this year, she came to Accra to deliver.

The prosecution said on October 30, Joyce visited the Military Hospital, met Mrs Ampomah, who had delivered, and began to cuddle the the after telling Mrs Ampomah that she resembled her (Joyce 's) sister.

Joyce entered into a conversation with Mrs Ampomah who told her that she had sent for soap to wash the baby's napkins. Mrs Ampomah later left the ward to change her clothes, leaving the baby with Joyce but when she returned the baby and Joyce were nowhere to be found.

DSP Allando said information had it that Joyce hired a taxi to send the babyhome and the Police arrested the taxi driver, who helped them to arrest the husband in Kumasi. Her husband in turn led the Police to arrest Joyce in Accra.

When Joyce was interrogated, she insisted that the baby was hers and thatit was delivered at the Maternity Ward of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital on October 30. However, investigations revealed that her assertion was false.

DSP Allando said "There and then she admitted having stolen the baby at 37 Military Hospital". The Prosecution said although Esi knew that her cousin was not pregnant and numerous announcements were made on the air about a missing child, she harboured Joyce and the child in her house. Duku Van Ess should have known that his wife was not pregnant and when he was told that she had given birth to a baby boy, he should have made a report to the Police.

Mr Van Ess had even planned to have the baby outdoored, the Prosecution added.

Applying for bail, Mr Nelson Agbesi, defence counsel, told the tribunal that his clients have been in custody since their arrest and he needed to know their part of the story.