Court convicts woman for sanitation offences

The Hohoe Magistrate Court has sentenced Matilda Asimadu to a fine of GH?420.00 for accumulating human excreta wrapped in black polythene kept in a black bucket with some of the faeces on the ground.

Matilda pleaded guilty and was convicted on her own plea and will serve six months imprisonment if she defaults in paying the fine.

Prosecuting, Mr. Frank Azila-Gbettor, Chief Environmental Health Assistant at the Hohoe Municipal Assembly, told the court presided over by Mr. Peter Anongdare that Matilda who is the first accused and her daughter, second accused who was absent in court live at Hohoe-Torkoni.

He said on January 30, 2020, at 0930 hours, Environmental Health Officers on their usual domestic inspection entered the accused house.

Mr. Azila-Gbettor said the officers met the second accused who said her mother was in the room and all efforts by the officers to get the second accused to call her proved futile.

Prosecution said during an inspection, the officers saw the accumulation of human excreta wrapped in black polythene and kept in a black bucket while some of the faeces were scattered on the ground attracting houseflies and fowls.

He said the officers educated the second accused and advised her to abate the nuisance but she refused, adding that she was also asked to inform the first accused of the officers’ visit and the nuisances found in the house.

The Prosecution said on February 16, 2020, Environmental Health Officers re-visited the accused house and to their dismay, there was a bucket full of wrapped black polythene bags, which contained human excreta but there was nobody in the house.

He said the attitude of the accused could lead to an outbreak of cholera, typhoid, dysentery and other diseases.