Man gets 18 months for feeding wife with faeces

A Domestic Violence and Gender Based Court in Accra has sentenced one Abdullahi Yahaya to 18 months’ imprisonment in hard labour for feeding the wife with his faeces.

The court, presided over by Ms Sedina Agbameva, found the accused person guilty of subjecting another person to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment contrary to section 1 b (i) of the Domestic Violence Act 732 of 2007.

The prosecution, led by ASP Sarah Acquah, said that Yahaya aka Hussein on July 4, 2010 at Nii Boi Town in Accra smeared his wife’s body with his faeces, forced some of the faeces into her mouth and physically assaulted her.

Yahaya faced four additional charges of physical assault, emotional abuse and threat of death, but denied any wrongdoing.

The trial judge, accordingly, handed Yahaya the sentence to serve as a deterrent to others.

In addition, Ms Agbemeva ordered the convict to pay Ghc2,000 as compensation to the complainant, who is now his ex-wife or in default serve another year in jail in hard labour.

On the two counts of physical assault, Yahaya was asked to pay 50 penalty unit each (GH¢1,200) and a 20 penalty unit fine (GH¢240) for the charge of emotional abuse.

At the initial stages of the trial, ASP Acquah told the court that the complainant and Yahaya aka Hussein were married couples who lived at Nii Boi Town with their two and half-year-old child.

She said Yahaya frequently subjected the victim to severe beatings and that on May 15, 2010 at about 7am, a misunderstanding ensued between them and the accused person assaulted the complainant, hounded her out of the room, locked the door and took the room key.

Prosecution stated that the complainant reported the matter to the police DOVVSU and a medical form was issued to her to attend hospital for treatment.

The police officer said Yahaya was arrested and the parties were referred for counseling, adding that on June 4, 2010 at about 7:30 am, he accused the victim of stealing GH¢43 from his trousers.

ASP Acquah posited that the victim explained to Yahaya that she rather took GH¢33 and not GH¢43 to repair their car exhaust pipe which the accused person had damaged.

Prosecution further noted that the accused person was unhappy with the statement, insisting that Yahaya, who was in the toilet then, pursued the victim who was parking her baby’s dresses on the bed, pushed her onto the bed and smeared her body with his faeces.

ASP Acquah said the accused person, who was not satisfied, forcibly opened the mouth of the victim and pushed the remaining faeces into her mouth and drove her out of the house.

Prosecution contended that the victim, as a result, called a neighbour to witness what the accused person had done to her.

She said the accused person angrily came out of the room and subjected the complainant to severe beatings until other neighbours rescued her.

The victim, according to the prosecutor, reported the matter to the police leading to the arrest of Yahaya, who was later granted police enquiry bail to report periodically for counseling.

ASP Acquah averred that on February 6, 2011, Yahaya wanted to have sex with the victim, but she refused because of the bruises she sustained in her vagina as a result of the severe sexual intercourse.

The accused person, who took offence, beat the victim and poured hot palm nut soup on her face.

The prosecutor maintained that while the case was before the court, Yahaya on November 21, 2010 at about 8am threatened to kill the victim and poison the child if she continued the cases in court.