Bernice Addo, a 21-year –old woman, has been arrested by the police for pouring boiling water on a nursing mother while she was taking her bath.
Suspect Bernice allegedly carried out the act after engaging the victim, Ophelia Adzrago, in fierce fight a day before, at their house at Kotobabi in Accra.
Ophelia, who suffered severe burns, has been hospitalized at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital after the Mamobi Polyclinic refused her admission due to the intensity of the burns.
The suspect is currently in the custody of the Kotobabi District Police Command awaiting trial.
Bernice Addo, according to the information, had at loggerheads with the victim for time now.
On Friday, September 7, 2012, Bernice confronted Ophelia, who was then bathing her 10-month-old baby, for allegedly gossiping about her.
The suspect sustained injury on her face and her neck as a result of the scuffle between the two.
The following morning, Bernice, who had earlier threatened to deal to with the victim severely, boiled some hot water to bathe.
When the suspect realized that the nursing mother has entered the bath house, she quickly poured the hot water into a bucket and poured it on the victim, who was then naked in the bath house.
The husband of the victim, Yaw Amegayi, who heard the wife screaming, rushed to her rescue.
She was rushed to the Mamobi Polyclinic for medical treatment but was referred to the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital for intensive care.
Meanwhile, the Nursing mother told Daily Guide on her hospital bed that before the incident, Bernice always fought her in the house.
She said she had reported the matter to the parents of the suspect, but they did nothing about it.
“The day before the incident, the suspect approached me while I was bathing my child that one Caro, also a neighbor, had said I had gossiped about her.
“This resulted in a fight but were separated” the victim told Daily Guide. She added that the suspect threatened to teach her a lesson that would forever regret.
On that faithful day, she said, while taking her bathing, someone poured hot water on her.
“In an attempt to escape, the person poured more hot water on her breast so I rushed out and saw Bernice standing with the bucket and aggressively holding a fork in defense, to stab me if I dare approach her” she narrated.
She said her husband came to her rescue and together with other co-tenants; they rushed her to the Mamobi Polyclinic.
“My husband later reported the matter to the police for action,” she added. The Kotobabi District Police Commander, DSP E. Tieku Dankwa who confirmed the story, said Bernice Addo was in Police custody awaiting prosecution while police investigations continued.
Source: GhanaWeb
