The Ho District court on Tuesday remanded Gideon Abotsi, a 37 year old farmer for allegedly beheading his three year old son on Friday, July 18, 2014 over his wife’s decision to starve him of sex.
Residents of Kpeyiborme in the South Dayi district of the Volta Region on the fateful day went to bed with the shock of their life after Gideon, popularly known as ‘Jarah’ butchered his third born and only boy out of four kids till his head almost severed off.
The court presided over by Magistrate Robert Addo, remanded the suspect into prison custody to reappear on Wednesday August 6, 2014 to allow the Police continue with their investigations.
Presenting the case, Police Prosecutor Sheila Odai told the court that Last Friday, a complainant, John Ahiable who happens to be the father of the suspect reported the horrific incident to the Peki Police in the South Dayi district of the Volta Region.
She said the complainant in his statement noted that he was in the farm when some neighbours rushed to inform him that his son, Gideon has killed his own son, three year old Sitsofe Abotsi.
He rushed to the son’s house to realise that his grandson is dead and lying in a pool of blood as his son has been tied up by neighbours to prevent him from escaping.
Some minutes later the Police came to pick up Gideon to the Peki Police station.
Background
Residents in the area disclosed that the man who is also a suspected Indian hemp farmer and user carried out the heinous crime after his wife, Sena, purportedly refused to bear him more children.
Her reason was that it was not socially and economically wise to be pregnant and bear more children when they were having a hard time to cater for the four they already had.
According to them the suspect and his wife had been married for 11 years with series misunderstandings over the upkeep of their four children in recent times.
This led to the woman allegedly packing out of her matrimonial home to stay with her mother-in-law. Angered by the situation, on last Friday, Jarah went to his mother’s house, picked his son and took him to his house, where chopped off the head.
He then absconded after sensing danger but was chased by some youth of the town and arrested, who later handed him over to the police.
Meanwhile, the Peki District Police Commander, DSP Jonas Agbevam has said arrangements are underway to get the traumatised mother of the boy and her other children to go through psychological counselling while the body of the deceased is being sent to the police hospital for examination by a pathologist.
