Grandfather in court for kidnapping

Accra, July 26, GNA - A Driver, who kidnapped his three grandchildren aged nine, six and two years, was on Tuesday put before an Accra Circuit Court.

Stephen Aboagye Boateng of Site 21, Community One, Tema, pleaded not guilty to two counts of assault and kidnapping and was granted bail in the sum of 50 million cedis with one surety to reappear on August 26. Boateng has denied any knowledge of the whereabouts of the children.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) James Kofi Abraham told the Court that the accused had a letter from his daughter, the children's mother resident in the US, to take custody of the children from her former brothers in-law, who are the complainants.

According to DSP Abraham the parents of the children, who were both resident abroad, were divorced and left their children in the care of one Emmanuel Oteng Appiah and Alexander Nti, the former brothers in-law, who lived at Golf City, Michel Camp, near Tema.

The Prosecution said Boateng, who acted on the instructions of his daughter, ordered his son, Justice Aboagye Boateng, alias Dada, Kweku and four others to go for the children by any means. Dada and the men set off to Golf City and met the complainants. After a chat with Dada and Kwaku, he left the house while the other four men insisted on taking the children away but the complainants refused to hand over the children.

The four men called Dada and Kwaku to join them and subjected the complainants to severe beatings. The Prosecution said soon after the act Dada, Kwaku together with the four men took the three children away to an unknown destination.