Cape Coast, April 14, GNA- A 34-year old fisherman who allegedly left his five-year-old daughter to drown in the sea, just to punish his ex-wife for refusing to reconcile with him, appeared before a Magistrate Court in Cape Coast on Wednesday. Kwaku Akonu's plea was not taken and the court, presided over by Mr. Ohemeng-Mensah, remanded him in prison custody to be re-arraigned on Wednesday, April 27.

Prosecuting, Chief Inspector Daniel Agbezulor, told the court that the complainant, Madam Esther Arthur, the girl's mother, was married to Akonu and had two children with him but the marriage ended in a divorce after persistent quarrels.

He said the woman moved to her mother's house with the two children at Ekumfi Edumafa in the Mfantsiman Municipality. Chief Inspector Agbezulor said on Thursday, April 7 at about 0130hrs, Akonu who also lived at Edumafa sneaked into the house where his ex-wife lives with her mother and found her sleeping with the children.

He said Akonu allegedly carried the girl to the beach and threw her into the sea where she got drowned. He said when Madam Arthur woke up at about 0230hrs and realized that her daughter was not sleeping beside her, she raised the alarm and informed the Chief and elders of the town who organized a search party.

The Prosecutor said one Uncle Amenyi, who was returning from a nearby village and saw the body of the girl at the seashore, informed the search party, of which Akonu was part. He said the accused was later summoned to the Chief's Palace where he openly admitted throwing his daughter into the sea to punish his ex-wife for persistently refusing to reconcile with him.