A 27-year-old Kente weaver, Prosper Ayirebi, has been remanded into prison custody by a Kpando District Court for his alleged involvement in the murder of one Magaret Mireku at Golokuati in the Volta Region.
Ayirebi is alleged to have tied the victim with a rope and subjected her to sexual abuse. Charged with murder, Ayirebi’s plea has been reserved by the court. He is expected to reappear on March 18, 2024.
The prosecution led by Detective Inspector Henry Doku said the complainant Mawuse Afordofe was a trader residing at Golokuati and a maternal sister to the deceased Margaret Mireku, 50.
It said Ayirebi was also a resident of Golokuati. The prosecution said about four months ago, the deceased confided in a woman, a witness in the case that the accused person allegedly gave his dirty clothes to the deceased for washing and took advantage of the situation and raped her.
It said the deceased refused to report the incident to the Police because she felt embarrassed due to the age difference between her and the accused person.
The court heard that on January 11, 2024, at about 6:00am, two friends of the deceased, all witnesses in the case, visited the deceased, who lived alone in her house and met helpless with her feet firmly tied with a rope.
The prosecution said the witnesses managed to untie the rope and she told them that Ayirebi allegedly tied her up and forcibly had sex with her again the previous night. It said the witnesses quickly bought porridge and started feeding the deceased to revive her before taking her to hospital, but she passed.
A report was made to the Police and the accused person was arrested. The Police proceeded to the scene and found the body of Madam Mireku lying on a mattress in a supine position.
She was in a blouse with a piece of cloth wrapped around her waist and underwear. The prosecution said there were no visible marks of violence on the body. However, it said a foaming substance was seen oozing from her mouth.
The prosecution told the court that photographs were taken, and the body was conveyed to Kpando Margaret Marquart Catholic Hospital where medical officers on duty confirmed that Madam Mireku was dead.
It said the body was deposited at the Hospital morgue for preservation. On January 12, 2024, a postmortem examination was conducted on the deceased after her children identified.
The prosecution said the autopsy report was yet to be submitted by the Pathology Department of the Hospital.
It said investigations were underway.
