Cape Coast, March 26, GNA - A 33-year-old woman who is alleged to be mentally ill but attempted to steal a four-year old girl at the Kotokuraba Market was on Tuesday charged with child stealing by a circuit court at Cape Coast.

Theresa Donkor pleaded not guilty but the presiding judge, Mr Richard Asiedu-Badu, subjected her to questioning to find out the truth or otherwise of a claim by her counsel that she was not mentally sound. The court asked that she should be sent to a mental hospital for examination.

She will be re-arraigned on April 2. Chief Inspector Hope Azasoo told the court that last week the accused asked the girl, who was playing with her friends around the Kotokuraba area, to direct her to a public toilet. He alleged that on their way the accused gave the girl to a woman, who was selling at the road side, for safe keeping with the reason that she was going to collect some personal effects from a lorry station and would come back for her.

Mr Azasoo said on her return another woman, who was suspicious of the accused, confronted her and inquired about the mother of the girl but she insisted that she was her sister's daughter. She sneaked away but she was spotted at the Tantri lorry station and was arrested. 26 March 08