Officials of the Domestic Violence Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) trying to settle a dispute between a husband and wife could not believe their ears when the man told them that he left home because his wife had been assaulting him.

But as proceedings were going on to reconcile them, the wife, Yaa Serwaa, 38, slapped her husband (name withheld) twice compelling the DOVVSU officials to immediately arrest her while her husband was given a medical form to enable him to attend hospital.

Disclosing this to the Times Monday March 17, 2008, Inspector Irene Oppong of the Unit said last Tuesday, Serwaa reported to DOVVSU that her husband had abandoned the family. Upon this, the husband was invited to report to respond to the accusation.

On Thursday, March 13, when the husband reported at the Unit, DOVVSU officials sat the couple down to arbitrate the matter.

After Serwaa had narrated her grievances, and her husband responded that he left home because he could not withstand the wife's beatings, Serwaa allegedly slapped him twice on the cheek.

As if that was not enough, she shouted in Akan: Yereko fie a, mebo wo asen sei which literally translates "I will beat you more when we are going home."

Narrating his ordeal to DOVVSU, the man said during the past five years, his wife hit him anytime there was a misunderstanding over housekeeping money.

He said when he was involved in a car accident and had to use crutches, his wife would take a crutch from him and hit him with it when there was a misunderstanding.

He said fed up with the situation, he left the marital home eight months ago to rent a house at Dansoman where his 20-year-old daughter has been visiting him to collect money for the family's upkeep.

Asked why he had all this while not reported the matter to the police, he said it was because he thought his wife would change.