"Blood Tutor" granted bail

Accra, June 28, GNA - A Circuit Court in Accra on Tuesday admitted Amaglo Efo-Yao, a French Teacher of Mother Mary's School at South Odorkor, Accra, who allegedly induced pupils of the school to lick his blood during a trial by ordeal to a 100 million-cedi bail with two sureties.

Amaglo, charged with trial by ordeal, pleaded not guilty. The Court further ordered him to report every Wednesday to the Police until further orders were made.

It adjourned the case to August 30 2005.

Earlier Mr J. K. Yeboah, Amaglo's Counsel, prayed the Court to admit his client to bail as the offence under which he had been charged did not fall under those that bail should be refused. According to the Lawyer, Amaglo had been kept in custody for a long time saying that the Police earlier requested the Court to remand the accused to enable them to conduct an HIV/AIDS test on the accused person and this had been done.

Counsel further submitted that Amaglo was still a tutor at the school and he would not run away.

Prosecuting Superintendent Elizabeth Alormatu, who did not object to bail, pleaded with the Court to admit Amaglo to bail with substantial surety or with justification.

She did not say anything about the HIV/AIDS test conducted on the accused.

At an earlier sitting, the Police prayed the Court to assist them to conduct an HIV/AIDS test on him. The facts of the case are that on June 16, 2005, two female tutors of the School reported that their 10 euros and 78,000 cedis had been stolen from their bags.

Staff of the school held a meeting and agreed to conduct a search on pupils at the preparatory level but they did not find the money. While pondering on whether to extend the search to the Junior Secondary School students, Amaglo assembled some of the pupils without any notice of the school authorities, cut his right leg with a blade and used a black stone to wipe the blood.

Amaglo, thereafter, asked the pupils to lick the blood from the stone.

He further told the pupils that if the thief failed to confess, he or she would have his or her intestines cut in the manner he had used the blade to cut himself.

This did not go down well with some of the pupils, who reported the matter to their parents.

On the nights of June 15 and June 16, the Director of the School received a series of calls and complaints from some parents on the matter.

When the Director of the School contacted the Headmaster, he said he had not received any complaint.

The School Authorities held a meeting with some parents to enable them to make their complaints after which the Headmaster reported the matter to the Police, who arrested the accused. 19 July 19