NDC big shot beats wife

Joseph Appiah Dankwa, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary candidate for Afram Plains South Constituency, is standing trial at the Kaneshie Magistrate Court in Accra, charged on two counts of assault, and one count of destruction of property.

These charges arose out of the accused allegedly beating up Ms. Nancy Nyakotey, a beautician and wife of the accused.

When the case was called yesterday, the brother of the wife of the NDC parliamentary candidate told the court, presided over by Ms. Mariam S. Sinare, that the aspirant severely beat up his wife, after she had questioned him about another woman who was in his company.

The prosecution witness told the court under cross examination that on that fateful day, May 26, this year, the accused person, who is also a Pathologist and a Clearing Agent, took his wife, who lives with her mother, to town. The man later returned to his house, but the wife failed to report back to her mother's house, as arranged.

According to the prosecution witness, he called the accused person to find out the whereabouts of his sister. The accused replied that he had not seen her.

According to the prosecution witness, their mother, Madam Regina Nyakotey, later received a distress call from a taxi driver, Mr. Kofi Hagan, who said the complainant was in his car but was unconscious, and would like to find out what he should do.

The witness said he directed the taxi driver to meet with him and the mother at the accused person's house at Sowutown, which he did.

Mr. Nyakotey further told the court that upon reaching Mr. Dankwa's home, the complainant seemed to have regained consciousness, so she entered the house of the accused person alone.

The witness told the court that after some minutes, he and the taxi driver heard the woman shouting for help.

When they got to the house, they saw the accused person raining blows on his wife, who tried to run away from him.

Mr. Nyakotey told the court that the accused person pulled the complainant onto a heap of sand, and began hitting her lower abdomen until her mother came to separate them, after which she was able to set herself free.

He said, as if that was not enough, after they had been separated and went to sit in the taxi, Appiah Darkwa went to open the door, pulled out the taxi driver, put him on the floor and began beating him.

According to him, the driver was rescued by people who were passing by, but the accused person still pursued him, caught up with him, smashed the windscreen of the cab, worth GHC 120, with a stone.

Earlier, the wife told the court in her evidence in chief that upon reaching the house, she saw the accused person eating with a pregnant woman, identified as his girlfriend.

She told the court that when she saw them, she asked the accused person if it was because of the pregnant woman that his attitude had changed towards her, and that if that was the case, he should pay her an amount of US$1,000 belonging to her, which is now in his custody, as well as her belongings, so that she could leave.

She said upon hearing this, Appiah Dankwa became angry and began beating her up.

The accused person pleaded not guilty to two counts of assault and one count of destruction of property.

He was admitted to bail to re-appear before the court October 22, 2012.

His pregnant girlfriend is also accused of assault.

The Prosecutor, Sergeant Fredua Agyemang, told the court that the complainant fell sick and hired the services of a taxi driver to take her to the accused person's house.

He told the court that upon her arrival, she met the girlfriend and a confrontation ensued between them, adding that the accused person jumped to the defense of his girlfriend, and beat up his wife.

He said the taxi driver, Kofi Hagan, went to the house and saw the girlfriend attacking the wife, and ended up biting her hand. He added that he also received some slaps from the aspiring Member of Parliament.

The Prosecutor said both the complainant and the taxi driver managed to ran into the taxi, but Appiah managed to ran after them, and hit the cab's windscreen with a stone, destroying it.