Kumasi court grants bail to ‘flogging father’

The Circuit Court in Kumasi, presided over by Ms Patricia Amponsah, has admitted the 26-year-old man who subjected his three-year-old son to severe beatings to a bail in the sum of GH¢50,000, with three sureties to be justified.

Ebenezer Osei Bonsu pleaded not guilty to two charges of assault and causing harm preferred against him by the prosecution.

The case was adjourned to May 21, 2020 for hearing.

Bail

The prosecution, led by Inspector Regina Oparebea Amoako, was opposed to the bail application by counsel for the accused, Mr Samuel Amofa Kodua.

It was the fear of the prosecution that the accused, when granted bail, could intimidate the boy or his mother.

However, the judge explained that her hands were tied by the coronavirus pandemic to remand the accused in custody.

She, therefore, granted the bail application and admitted Bonsu to bail.

The court also warned Bonsu not to get close to the child or his mother until the final determination of the case.

In his application for bail for the accused person, Mr Kodua had explained that Bonsu might need psychiatric examination to assess his mental state, as he was not known to be that violent.

According to the defence, the accused person was a caring father who took good care of his son, saying that he did not know what came over Bonsu to act the way he did.

Facts

Presenting the facts of the case, Inspector Amoako told the court that the accused and the complainant, Barbara Obeng, were former students of the Komfo Anokye Senior High School who were in a relationship for a while that produced a son, the victim.

She said Bonsu, who is currently doing his national service in Accra, often went to Kumasi during weekends.

He said on April 9, 2020, Bonsu went for the child to spend his birthday with him at his place.

However, she said, after the birthday, Bonsu did not return the boy to Barbara, as he usually