...... wife deserts him in protest

THE strong sexual desire nurtured by a 23-year-old farmer, Kofi Arhin, of Obuadro, near Mankrong in the Central Region, which allegedly made him have sex with an ewe (female sheep) did not only expose the animal instincts in him but also cost him dearly.

Arhin, who initially denied the allegation, was however found to be lying when he undressed for an inspection to be conducted on him. It was found out that Arhin, who wore no pants but a pair of trousers whose flaps had no zip had his pubic area, up to the naval, covered with fur of the ewe.

A similar examination of the vagina of the ewe revealed traces of jelly-like sticky substance at its entrance, which suggested that the ewe had been sexually assaulted.

Arhin?s action has cost him his wife and he is to appear before court to face the full rigours of the law. He worsened his case by taking offence, biting off and swallowing the earlobe of his brother-in-law, Laper, at a public stand pipe for being instrumental in the dissolution of his marriage.

Incidentally, Laper, will also be in the dock for biting off the ear of the suspect?s father in retaliation.

According to the Swedru District Police Commander, Mr Alex Addae, the case was formally reported to the Mankrong-Junction Police on March 14. He said while Arhin will be charged with having unnatural carnal knowledge and causing harm, while Laper and Kofi Gbogla (the owner of the ewe) will face charges of disturbing public peace and causing harm.

They are currently on police enquiry bail and will be arraigned before court next week.

The facts of the case, according to the District Commander, are that somewhere in March, Gbogla, 33, of Obuadro, tied his ewe and lamb to a tree in the bush to graze. In the afternoon, his wife, Ama Azanyo, 36, went to provide water to the animals only to find them missing.

She later heard the bleating of a sheep at a distance and decided to go and see if it was hers. When she got close to a hut in the bush, the bleating intensified and she went closer only to see a naked Arhin lying on the bleating ewe having sex with it.

According to Mr Addae, Ama Azanyo raised an alarm and, fortunately her husband, Gbogla and his friend, Laper, who were returning from their farms, rushed to the scene where Arhin was in the process of putting on his pair of trousers. Just then, Nana Kweku Baah, Chief of Sasakwaa, a nearby village, happened to be passing by and Gbogla called him to witness the scene.

Later at the palace where Nana Abodwesa, chief of Obuadro chaired an arbitration panel, Arhin admitted to the offence and the panel gave him a three-day ultimatum to pay ?5,000 so that the ewe could be sent to the Veterinary Services Department for treatment, in default of which he would pay ?600,000 in case it died. He consented and his father, John Arhin, provided a bottle of akpeteshie to seal the arbitration.

A source at the arbitration, however, told this reporter that Laper was reported to have informed Arhin that ?by that shameful act you have disgraced my sister and all of us. I?m therefore not going to allow your marriage with my sister to continue any longer.? And with that, he left the palace for Arhin?s house and took away his sister, Nawula, with whom Arhin has a child.

The source said Arhin failed to pay the ?5,000 and when he and Gbogla later met at a public stand pipe, the latter asked why the former was not coming to take his ?sick wife? (the ewe) to hospital, or whether he was waiting for it to die so he would pay the ?600,000 to cover dowry and all other things involved in the performance of customary rites.

The source added that Arhin retorted that Gbogla was crazy for asking him that question and this led into a fight. They were separated by Laper, but Arhin who bore Laper a grudge for dissolving his marriage bit off the lobe of the right ear of his brother-in-law, swallowed it and then took to his heels with bleeding Laper in pursuit.

According to the source, Arhin fled and entered a room in his father?s house. Laper attempted to follow suit but, Arhin?s father, John, blocked his way so Laper vented his spleen on old John by biting and swallowing a large chunk of his right ear for preventing him from retaliating.

A complaint was lodged with the police at Mankrong-Junction, who arrested Arhin, Laper and Gbogla and took the injured to the Swedru Government Hospital, where they were treated and discharged.