A Berekum Magistrate Court has remanded a 28-year-old woman into police custody over contempt.
She failed to pay for a DNA test ordered by the court to be performed on her son and the supposed father of the boy to determine his paternity.
The father of 10-year-old Aluta Kwesi Ansu, claimed his girlfriend, Adwoa Kyeremaa, had denied him parental responsibility for the boy, so he reported the woman to the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service for settlement at Berekum.
Adwoa, however, told DOVVSU personnel that Ansu was not the biological father of her child, so could not allow him to take responsibility for the boy.
Investigations by DOVVSU, however, revealed that both Ansu and Adwoa used to be in a relationship for 11 years and blessed with a 10-year-old boy whom Ansu took care of from pregnancy through to delivery, including naming the child.
But for a strange reason, Adwoa informed Ansu on July 17, 2022, that he was not the father of the child, and changed his name to another one, and prevented him from taking responsibility of his son.
Ansu then demanded Adwoa to pay GH¢120,000 being maintenance cost he expended on the child if she insists the child is not his, but she refused.
After investigation, Adwoa was arrested and charged with the offence of denial of parental duty and responsibility of a man towards his son contrary to Section 6(3) of the Children’s Act, Act 560, 1998 and arraigned before Berekum District Magistrate Court presided over by Simon Gaga.
Arguing, counsel for the accused told the court that the plaintiff was aware he was not the biological father of the child. He explained that Adwoa Kyeremaa resides at Berekum and a cleaner at a health centre while Aluta Kwesi Ansu is a taxi driver and lives at Jamdede and were in a concubine relationship some years back, but the relationship broke down.
She went and engaged in another relationship which resulted in a pregnancy before coming back to Berekum, leaving the town earlier after the breakdown of the relationship.
He said when she came back, Ansu approached her to continue with the relationship but she declined with the assurance that she was pregnant for another man.
But Ansu pestered her and promised to take care of her and the pregnancy till she gave birth. After delivery, Adwoa, however, denied Ansu the parental responsibility of the child.
The magistrate, therefore, ordered for a DNA test to be conducted on the child and man to determine the paternity.
He ordered that the cost of both tests on the alleged father and son must be borne by Adwoa, which she could not do, hence the court’s decision to remand her into police custody for contempt of court.
Adwoa, however, said the magistrate court has no jurisdiction to remand her on a contempt case since it is only a high court that has that jurisdiction.
She also does not understand why Ansu should not bear the cost of the DNA test since he is the one claiming to be the biological father of the child.
The case has been adjourned to October 14, 2022 for further hearing.