A 32-year-old woman, Harriet Azumah, has recounted a harrowing ordeal in which her estranged husband allegedly assaulted her after she refused his demand for sex at Ofankor in the Greater Accra Region.
The incident, portions of which were captured in a viral video, has generated widespread outrage.
According to Harriet, she moved out of the marital home months earlier due to persistent abuse. But on November 15, she received a call from her husband, John Odartey Lamptey, claiming their youngest child was seriously ill.
Speaking to Accra-based TV3, she said she immediately travelled from her village to Accra, only to find the children playing in good health. She added that Lamptey later admitted he fabricated the story just to lure her back.
Later that night, he allegedly demanded sex, which she refused, explaining that they had been separated for five months.
“I told him I would return to my village at dawn if that was the reason he had insisted I come back,” she said.
But tensions escalated the next morning when Lamptey allegedly blocked her from approaching the children and threatened to kill her.
“He sent the children out of the room, locked the door and launched a violent attack, stripping me, beating me with a stick, stepping on me, and at one point wielding a knife while threatening to cut my hand,” she recounted in tears.
Harriet further alleged that Lamptey smeared pepper between her thighs and private parts and forcibly had sex with her.
A neighbour, identified as Oketeku, reportedly intervened at a point by persuading Lamptey to unlock the door and taking the knife away. However, Lamptey allegedly drove him out and resumed the assault.
The victim noted that this was not the first time she had suffered abuse. She said she had previously lodged complaints at the Tesano and Ofankor police stations, backed by evidence, yet no action was taken.
Lamptey was arrested on November 17 at the family home, along with two of his siblings — Grace Kushie Lamptey and Louis Odartey Lamptey — who allegedly attempted to attack a female tenant they suspected of recording and circulating the video.
All three have been remanded by the Magistrate Court at the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit and are expected to reappear on December 3, 2025.
However, police say they are still working to locate the victim, who reportedly left the residence after the incident.
The police are urging the public to provide any credible information that could assist investigations.
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