Housewife burns down 96-year-old man's house

A 30-year-old housewife, Konlan Talata, who allegedly burned down her 96-year-old neighbour's house and beat him and his wife, has been taken into prison custody by Nalerigu Magistrate Court in the East Mamprusi District of the Northern Region, presided over by Robert Agbleze.

The suspect, who pleaded not guilty to the charge of destruction of property and violent conduct, among others, was remanded to reappear on February 21, 2013, for full trial of the entire case.


According to the facts of the case as presented to the court, the complainant is one Lanbon Tammon, a 96-year-old farmer resident in Bunkpurugu in the Bunkpurugu-Yunyoo district.


In view of the acute water problems in the area, he was reported to have assigned his son to fetch water with the aid of a donkey cart from a nearby stream, which most residents depended on during the dry season.


The victim’s son was reported to have passed behind the residence of the suspect who confronted and warned him never to use that portion of the road to the stream.


According to her, the donkey cart was alleged to have created some marks on her wall and that was why she barred the young man from using the donkey cart close to her house.

The victim’s son was reported to have defied the warning and repeated his trip to the stream, infuriating the suspect who trailed him to their house and poured the water away.


She was reported to have verbally assaulted the victim to the surprise of other neighbours threatening to do the unthinkable if his son dared her by passing behind her house.


The following day however, the suspect, on returning from a nearby village passed by the complainant’s compound and was confronted on why she barred others from using routes close to her house yet did that to others.


The accused person did not take kindly to the confrontation and subjected the poor old man and his wife to severe beating until they were rescued by their neighbours who wondered what could have informed such an offensive conduct from her.


The victim’s son was immediately dispatched to the police station to officially lodge a complaint but halfway to the station he was informed the woman dashed home, brought matches and set the entire house ablaze.

Efforts by residents to put out the inferno proved futile as it consumed every property stuffed in the rooms estimated at several thousands of Ghana cedis.


She was subsequently arrested and arraigned before court on various charges and has since been remanded while further investigations were being conducted into the matter.


The victim and his family were currently putting up with some relations, hoping to return to their home if they managed to reroof two of the rooms.