Court orders father to name his son

The Agona Swedru District Magistrate’s Court, presided over by Mr K. B. Frempong, has issued an ultimatum to an irresponsible father, Kwaku Okyir, to name his five-month-old baby boy by August 30, 2013 and remit the child GH¢60 a month.
Mr Frempong also ordered Okyir to sign a bond to be of good behaviour for a year or serve six months in prison if he defaults.

Additionally, the court has ordered Okyir to reappear before it on September 2, 2013 after naming the child.

The court gave the orders after convicting Okyir on his own plea of guilty to the charge of assault on his former lover, Juliet Adu Kwao.

Okyir asked the court to apologise to Juliet on his behalf and said he assaulted her because she threatened to end their relationship.

He said he only went to give her some money and a quarrel they had later degenerated into a fight.

According to Inspector Isaac Amon, the prosecutor,  Okyir and Juliet are traders based at Agona Swedru. They had been in a relationship for the past three years and had a five-month-old baby boy.

He said at about 6pm on July 26, 2013 Juliet was at home with her sister, Gifty Botwe, when Okyir stormed the house in an angry mood and started raining insults on her and her family members.

According to the prosecutor, Okyir picked their baby and when Juliet tried to take the baby from him, Okyir assaulted her and used his mobile phone to hit her on the nose, injuring her in the processs.

Inspector Amon said the matter was reported to the police but Okyir absconded.

It wasn’t until August 3, 2013 that the police succeeded in arresting him at his hideout.

By Ekow Yamoah/The Mirror/Ghana