Business woman jailed six months for unlawful entry

Esther Akomeah, a Businesswoman, has been sentenced to six months imprisonment by an Accra Circuit Court for unlawful entry and damage as well as disturbing the peace in public and emotionally, verbally, and psychologically abusing one Richard Oppong.

Esther, who pleaded guilty to all charges, was convicted on her own plea.

She is to pay a fine of 100 penalty units for emotionally, verbally, and psychologically abusing, a fine of 20 penalty units for causing unlawful damage and a fine of 10 penalty units for disturbing the peace in public space and would serve six months imprisonment for causing unlawful entry.

Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Sarah Acquah told the court that, the complainant, Richard Oppong, a Businessman, is the ex-husband of the convict and they have a two and a half year old daughter, who was staying with Esther.

She said on February 10, Esther informed the complainant that their child was sick. The complainant being in doubt due to the convicts strategy to extort monies from him, decided to take the child to the hospital himself.

She said on February 11, in the morning the complainant visited the child at Esther’s house to take her to the hospital, but on his arrival Esther refused to release the child to him, with the reason that she had not bathed the child.

ASP Acquah said the complainant's insistence to take the child to the hospital resulted in a misunderstanding between them and later degenerated into verbal exchanges.

She told the court that in the process the convict held and tore the complainant’s shirt worth GH¢80.00. The complainant quickly rushed to the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) and lodged a complaint.

She said while the complainant was on his way to the police station, Esther rushed to his residence at Dansoman Junction, and unlawfully entered his room through the main door to a corridor and pushed a double decker fridge down. She also caused damage to the complainants mirror worth GH¢200.00.

The prosecution said after the act, the convict left the child with a storekeeper at the complainant's shop in front of the house. Esther still furious insulted some of the complainant’s workers.

She said on February 12, Esther was invited to DOVVSU office to assist in their investigations.

During interrogation, she started shouting and kept banging the investigator's table and making loud and unseemly noise in the the corridor as well as the Deputy Command’s office. The loud noise drew a lot of people to the scene.

She was arrested and after investigations, charged with the offence.