A 71-year-old trader has been sentenced to 15 days imprisonment by an Accra Circuit Court for exposing a two-week-old baby to danger.
This is after the court found Elizabeth Thompson guilty of exposing her granddaughter to danger.
Elizabeth is said to have abandoned the baby behind a fenced wall at Dansoman Exhibition with the excuse that the baby was born out of wedlock, and it would be a shame to take her home.
The court presided over by Mrs. Christina Cann also ordered Elizabeth to pay a fine of GHC2,400.
Elizabeth, in default, would serve additional 15 days imprisonment.
The Court, however, acquitted and discharged another accused person, Caroline Okine on the charge of exposing a child to danger.
It noted that Caroline did not play any role in the offence.
In the case of Elizabeth, the court held that she indeed exposed the baby to danger because the baby could have been harmed by any crawling animal at the dump site.
The baby was also at the mercy of the weather.
Prosecuting, Inspector Opoku Aniagyei said the complainant was a 36-year-old trader residing at Adedemkpo, Accra.
The prosecution said Caroline, the first accused person, is a 28-year-old trader and mother of three children, including the victim, a two-week-old baby girl.
It said Elizabeth was the biological mother to Caroline.
The prosecution said both accused persons live together in their family house with the complainant (name withheld) being their tenant.
It said on September 20, 2022, Caroline gave birth to the two weeks old baby girl at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital and was discharged same day but she could not pay for the medical bills and so she was kept at the Hospital until October 4, 2022.
This was after a nurse at the Hospital paid Caroline’s hospital expenses.
The prosecution said when Caroline was discharged, Elizabeth met her in front of the Hospital and took the baby from her, put her in a black polythene bag and went to abandon her in front of someone’s fence wall at the Dansoman Exhibition area with an excuse that the baby was born out of wedlock, thus a shame to take her home.
It said after committing the crime, Elizabeth came back and took Caroline home.
The prosecution said some tenants in the house got wind of the crime, arrested and took the two to the Accra Regional DOVVSU where investigation caution statements were obtained from them.
It said the accused persons admitted the offence and on the same day October 4, 2022, around 7:00pm, a witness in the case spotted the abandoned baby.
The prosecution said the witness took the baby to the Dansoman DOVVSU and later to the Department of Social Welfare for shelter and treatment.