Lawyer for accused to make “no-case submission” before court

Counsel for Josephine Mensah Panyin, the accused in the infamous fake Takoradi pregnancy saga, Lawyer Philip Fiifi Buckman has prayed the court to make a “no case submission” for the accused.

His prayer to the court comes after the prosecution closed its case after an intense cross-examination on its last witness.

Lawyer Buckman making a plea to the court stressed the need to make a no-case submission for his client as the evidence adduced by the prosecution and its witnesses do not support the charges levelled against the accused.

Describing prosecution’s case as one based on “feelings and emotions and not founded in law (sic)”.

The learned Judge, His Honor Michael Ampadu upon hearing the plea of the counsel for the accused adjourned the case to March 17 to hear ” no case submission ” application by the counsel for the accused.

In all, the prosecution team called 8 witnesses to prove a case of deceiving a public officer contrary to section 251 (B) of the Criminal office’s Act and Publication of false news with the intention to cause fear and panic contrary to section 208 subsection 1 of the act of the criminal offence.

Among the prosecution witness is the husband and mother of the accused, who in the cause of the trial refuted some of the statements they allegedly gave to the police when they were presented before the court by the Prosecution.

Michael Simons, husband for the accused of instance, During his cross-examination by a lawyer for the accused, Philip Fiifi Buckman, told the court that he saw the stomach of his pregnant wife before she went missing.

This was contrary to what Chief Inspector Emmanuel Basintale told the court. The Chief Inspector had indicated to the court that, Michael Simons had clearly stated in his original statement that he did not see his wife’s pregnant stomach. But the accused person’s lawyer objected to the claim, which was upheld by the court.

When the second witness, Agnes Essel, mounted the box, she also refuted paragraph 19 in her earlier statement to the police that she didn’t see the pregnant stomach of Josephine Panyin Mensah.

“I never told the police I had not seen the pregnant stomach of my daughter”, she told the court.

Madam Agnes also told the Circuit Court that, she went to the Axim hospital and saw her daughter without the pregnancy but had a pad on when she accompanied her to the washroom.

At the Effia-Nkwanta Hospital, the prosecutor said in her cross-examination that she went in with her daughter but was not privy to the test conducted on her, but was later asked by witnesses to admit to the doctor’s report.

The prosecution called in Mr Ebenezer Nyame and Mr Abarkah tailor and Carpenter respectively who testified on the condition of the accused when found at Jehovah’s Witnesses church at Axim

Mr Jerry Abrobrah, Medical Superintendent for Axim Hospital, Dr Samuel Agyemang ono-case Nkwanta Regional Hospital and the CID officer in charge of the case testified on the accused not being pregnant.

The case has been adjourned to 17th March for a hearing and possible ruling on no-case submission by the council of the accused.