Farmer before court for arson

Cape Coast, Aug. 18, GNA 96 A Cape Coast Circuit Court on Thursday remanded in custody James Boafo, 23-year-old farmer, for setting ablaze the room of a neighbour, who accommodated his wife and five-month-old baby he had driven away.

Boafo from Twifo-Mampong picked up a quarrel with the wife and drove her away from the matrimonial home but a neighbour offered them accommodation.

Boafo pleaded guilty and begged for an out-of-court settlement but the presiding judge, Mr Beresford Acquah remanded him in custody for two months to serve as a deterrent.

Mr Acquah asked Boafo to pacify the victim pending the consideration of his appeal.

Prosecuting, Police Inspector Daniel Mukwei said Boafo picked up a quarrel with his wife, Ama Dede in the morning of August 6 2006 and asked her to pack her belongings and leave their room. He asked her to leave the town and threatened that both she and the person, who would offer her shelter, would suffer the consequences. Inspector Mukwei said Madam Dede approached one Madam Akua Yeboah, a middle-ag ed-woman, and pleaded with her to accommodate her and she obliged. The Prosecutor said when Boafo saw the wife sweeping the compound of Madam Yeboah he repeated the warning. He said after the second warning Madam Dede packed out of Madam Yeboah's room but Boafo thinking that the wife was still staying with her set the room ablaze destroying personal belongings estimated at 3.4 million cedis.