Josephine Panyin Mensah, the 27-year-old woman at the center of the controversial pregnancy and kidnapping claims in Takoradi, has for the first time narrated her side of the story to the court.
This follows an order by the Takoradi Circuit Court ‘A’ for Josephine Panyin Mensah to open her defense after eight prosecution witnesses have testified in the case.
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Before the court’s order, counsel for the accused, Fiifi Buckman, in his submission of no case, argued that the prosecution has not been able to establish a prima facie case against his client for her to open her defense.
The court presided over by His Honour, Michael Ampadu, however, thought otherwise and ordered the accused to open her defense.
It would be recalled that all this while, it is the police side of the story that is in the public domain.
Testifying in the case at the court during cross-examination, the accused insisted that she was pregnant before she was kidnapped and that she got pregnant in January 2021.
She indicated that even though she had a series of miscarriages after giving birth to her first child, she did not lose the last pregnancy.
She told the court that she is still married to her husband, Michael Simons and that they both have a son who will be four years in September this year.
She denied the assertion that there was a misunderstanding between her and the husband any time she had a miscarriage.
She also told the court that it was not true that she purchased a silicone belly at GHc30 cedis at the Takoradi market circle to deceive her husband and mother as had been alleged by the police.
She also revealed that she was attending antenatal care at the Takoradi hospital every Thursday.
This was after the prosecutor, Ins. Robert Yawson presented documents before the Court from the Takoradi hospital indicating that the accused’s first visits to the hospital on January 12, 2021, June 1, 2021 and June 15, 2021 was because of blared vision and not that she was pregnant.
Cross-Examination
The prosecutor Robert Yawson (RY) asked : During 2021, you attended Takoradi hospital four times.
Josephine : I was attending every Thursday.
RY: Your last visit to the hospital was on July 1, 2021 and you went there with cough, headache and cold and not pregnancy ?
Josephine: Not correct.
RY : On the day of the incident on September 16, 2021, you disappeared from Takoradi?
Josephine: Yes.
RY : Later you called your mother with the number 0599601438 to inform her that you’ve been kidnapped?
Josephine: Not true.
RY : Tell the court the number you used to call your mother?
Josephine: I don’t know the number.
The case has been adjourned to July 7, 2022, for the continuation of the cross-examination.
Background
Josephine Panyin Mensah is in court on two counts of deceiving a public officer contrary to section 251 (B) of the Criminal Offences Act and publication of false news with intent to cause fear and panic contrary to section 208 (1) of the Criminal Offences Act.
From Emmanuel Opoku, Takoradi
Source: www.ghnewslive.com
