Man Acquitted Of Girlfriend�s Death

A Tarkwa circuit court judge has acquitted and discharged Anthony Amihere, an illegal gold miner, who was facing a charge of abetment of attempted abortion following the death of his girl friend Faustine Maame Abena. Judge Obeng Diawuo acquited and discharged him for lack of prosecution. The judge said the charge should have been �abetment of attempted abortion� and not unlawfully causing abortion. He said even if the investigator used the correct charge against the accused there was no convincing evidence to support the charge. Detective Chief Inspector Oscar Amponsah had told the court that Fautina Maame lived with her parents at Wramso near Hwidiem in the Brong-Ahafo Region and was a second year student of Okomfo Anorkye Senior High School at Wiamoase near Kumasi. Amihere lived at Himan near Prestea. He said in 2009 Amihere went to Wramso to engage in illegal gold mining and fell in love with Faustina who sometimes left school and visited him at Himan. On October 25 last year the deceased, on one of her visits, informed Amihere that she was pregnant and Amihere told her to keep it but she insisted on terminating the pregnancy to enable her continue her education. Inspector Amponsah said Amihere asked Faustina to go back to school and gave her 160 cedis. He said on November 4 the accused returned from his illegal gold mining site and saw Faustina in his room complaining of abdominal pains. Amihere, assisted by his father and brother, took Faustina to Himan Clinic but was referred to Prestea Government Hospital where she died. A postmortem examination conducted on her revealed that she died from attempted abortion.