By Marie Aziz Tunde.
The 28-year-old lady at the Centre of the kidnapping and pregnancy case in Takoradi, Josephine Panyin Mensah has pleaded not guilty to 2 charges leveled against her by the Police. She has been granted a ₵ 50 thousand bail with 2 sureties to be justified. Josephine was charged for deceiving a Public Officer and publication of false statements which caused fear and panic.
In Prosecuting, Superintendent Emmanuel Basintale said Police investigations suggest that the number used by the supposed kidnappers were registered in the name of the accused name Josephine Panyin Mensah Simons.
Superintendent Basintale further told the Police that the prosthetics or artificial body part which is the belly she wore to pretend that she was pregnant was bought at the Takoradi Market Circle at the cost of ₵ 30.
He further told the court that the lady visited the Takoradi hospital on 11th September 2020, with lower abdominal pains which she was treated for Pelvic Inflammatory Disease. She has subsequently visited the facility 4 times with no records of antenatal care.
The accused person Josephine Panyin Mensah was represented in court by 5 pro bono lawyers with lawyer Fiifi Buckman leading the team.
In his defense, he told the Court to grant his client bail for the fact that the charges levelled against Josephine were not serious offences.
The judge subsequently granted her bail to reappear on October 14, 2021
Josephine won the hearts of many when her picture surfaced on social media as a missing 9-month-old Pregnant woman. Soon after Josephine was found by a stranger in Axim, but rather strangely without the baby triggering a series of allegations and counter allegations among the parties in the case.