Woman jailed for throwing her baby on refuse dump

A 26-year-old woman has been sentenced to 24 months in prison with hard labour for throwing her day-old baby girl on a refuse dump by the Kade District Magistrate Court.

The baby was found dead on the dump hill with parts of the body eaten by pigs.

The convict, Comfort Asor also known as Ataa Panin, unemployed, pleaded guilty with explanation.

Prosecuting, Police Detective Inspector Isaac Owusu Achaiw said, on April 15, 2017 at about 7:30pm, the Kade District Police command received a call that a body believed to be a day-old baby had been found dead on a refuse dump at Akyem Abodom in the Eastern Region.

The Police proceeded to the scene and found that half of the body from the lower abdomen through the legs including the eyes of the baby had been eaten by pigs.

Investigations revealed that on April, 13, 2017, at about 6am, the convict who was pregnant went to deliver at the maternity home of one Ellen Amposah, a traditional birth attendant at Abodom.

After the accused had been discharged by the traditional birth attendant, she concealed the baby and dumped it on a refuse dump.

On April 15, the baby was found at the refuse dump and the convict on hearing that her act had been uncovered fled the town.

However, she returned to the town on April, 25 and was arrested and sent to the Kade Police Station to assist in investigations.

When given the opportunity to explain, Madam Asor said the father of the baby had refused to cater for her and she could not afford the financial burden of bringing up the child alone.

When Asor made her first appearance, she reported sick and visited hospital for treatment and after numerous court adjournments to enable her to fully recover; she was handed down her sentence