A 24-year-old married woman, Nancy Yeboah, has been sentenced to five years imprisonment by the Asamankese Circuit Court in the Eastern Region for faking pregnancy for nine months and presenting a three-day-old stolen baby as her newborn.
The convict who hails from Boadua in the Demkyembour Distract was staying in Accra with her husband was sentenced on her own plea by the court presided over by Ababakari Abass Adams during the weekend.
The convict who is married for five months and without a child was weeping uncontrollably when the judgment was pronounced.
She was escorted by the Police into a van to serve her jail term.
The Prosecution Officer, Chief Inspector Susan Nyric presenting the facts to the court, said that three months ago, the convict as part of her plan to steal the baby of a then-pregnant woman, also dressed as a pregnant woman and visited her mother-in-law in the Boadua community claiming she was seven months pregnant so she came to prepare for her delivery.
According to the Prosecutor, the convict later told neighbors around that her delivery date may coincide with that of the victim who was then heavily pregnant which she reportedly told them that she will deliver in the house because it is a taboo in her family to deliver at the hospital.
The Prosecutor continued that the convict subsequently used an unknown mobile phone number to call the victim under the guise that she was a philanthropist willing to assist her to take care of her baby when she delivers.
He said on April 27, 2021, at about 5pm the victim alleged to be mentally ill delivered a bouncing baby boy at St. Dominic’s Hospital in Akwatia and was discharged the next day.
He added that three days later, that’s on April 29, 2021, the convict called the victim on phone under the pretense and promised to visit her and present some gifts.
The Prosecutor narrated further that Nancy Yeboah wearing a beanie hat and nose mask to conceal her identity, visited the nursing mother a few minutes to midnight, disguising as the philanthropist who had been calling the nursing mother on phone.
Nancy then presented some gift items in a polythene bag to the nursing mother and asked that she gave her a place to sleep since it was late in the night which the nursing mother out of appreciation obliged.
The nursing mother decided to inform her Auntie about the arrival of the alleged philanthropist but she told her to stop and make it the next morning instead.
The Prosecutor explained that she then deceived the nursing mother to go into her car parked at the Presbyterian Church premises which is quite a long distance from the house, to pick other items she bought for her but there was no car parked there when the nursing mother got there.
He added that she quickly stole the three-day-old baby and dashed to her house pretending that she had delivered. She then mixed beef with red color in a polythene bag as a placenta, after her delivery of a baby boy.
The convict gave the fake placenta to one Anthony Akakpo to bury for her, adding that the nursing mother returned to notice with a shock that her baby was missing from the bed which she raised an alarm but to no avail.
The victim’s husband then reported the matter to the Police station and the Police visited the house to commence investigation.
When the Police got wind and contacted her, she swore heaven and earth that she also delivered a baby that night.
The Prosecutor explained that the Police suspected her which they dragged her to the hospital for medical examination.
Out of fear, the convict began to confess.
The alleged placenta was exhumed and after the careful examination was found to be beef soaked with red color.
She was taken to the police station and detained after her caution statement was taken and later charged with child stealing.
However, she was then put before the law court, where she was sentenced after admitting to the offence.
FROM Daniel Bampoe, Asamankese