Court sentences farmer for sanitation offences

The Hohoe Magistrate Court has sentenced Cynthia Moajen, a farmer to a fine of GH?300.00 for accumulating human excreta and refuse in front of her house.

Cynthia pleaded guilty and was convicted on her own plea.

She would serve three months imprisonment if she defaults in paying the fine.

Prosecuting, Mr. Frank Azila-Gbettor, Chief Environmental Health Assistant at the Hohoe Municipal Assembly presenting the facts to the court presided over by Mr. Peter Anongdare said the accused person and one other person who was not in court were residents at Wli.

He said on March 11 this year, Officers in charge of environmental sanitation were on their routine premises inspection, entered into the accused persons house for inspection and asked the accused persons to conduct the officers around for inspection.

Mr. Azila-Gbettor said during the inspection, the Officers detected that the accused persons swept their house, collected the refuse and threw it indiscriminately in front of their dwelling premises.

He said the Officers also found out that the accused persons did not have a household latrine and as a result, their children defecated in the open in the house and in the nearby bushes around their premises.

The Prosecutor said the Officers attempted educating the accused persons on the health effects of their actions, but they were not willing to co-operate with the Officers adding that Cynthia was only busy pounding her palm nut, while the other accused, only took her farm bucket and attempted to leave for farm.

Mr. Azila-Gbettor said the accused were not ready to abate the nuisances as the Officers directed them to do hence a mandatory notice was served on them to appear before the Municipal Environmental Health Officer to explain why they failed to comply with sanitation directives but they ignored the notice.

He said on March 25, 2020, the Officers made a follow-up to check whether the nuisance had been removed but upon arrival nothing changed instead, fresh ones were added.