Three Juvenals kept in police cells instead Borstal Home

Kasoa (C/R), April 23, GNA - Mr Richmond Mensah, the Awutu-Effutu-Senya District Director of the Commission On Human Rights And Administrative Justice, has appealed to the Ghana Legal Board to apply for review of the cases of three minors who have been in police cells at Kasoa and Winneba over the past five months. Magistrate courts at Winneba and Awutu ordered that they should be sent to the Borstal Home in Bolgatanga but they have been kept in police cells since then.

Mr Mensah said this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency at Kasoa after visiting the prisons and police cells at Kasoa, Awutu Beraku, Winneba and Senya Beraku as part of the commission's nationwide inspection of prison and police cells. One was charged with stealing his mother's clothing while Ali and Obeng were also charged with stealing cooking utensils. They are each 17 years old.

He said the Police refused to say why the children are still being kept in their custody instead of the Borstal Home.

Mr Nicholas Gasu, the Winneba District Police Commander, confirmed that the children are still in police custody. Mr Gasu said the Social Welfare Officer, who was supposed to have written a report to be attached to children to enable the Borstal Home accept them, has refused to do so on the grounds that he was not involved in the trial of the case.

He said relatives of the children have been advised to make an appeal at a high court for the case to be retried but they have not been able to so due lack of funds.