Police prosecutors say they are awaiting advice from the Attorney General’s Office after concluding investigations into the deaths of three siblings suspected to be caused by an insecticide used for bedbug control.
The police indicate that, they have obtained an autopsy report on the cause of death, as the victims have already been buried.
The case has been adjourned to March 4, 2024.
On December 28, 2023, 15-year-old Judith Ekua Frans, and her siblings, 11-year-old Christian Magdaline Efua Frans, and six-year-old Nana Benin, who lived at Pakoso with their mother, visited their grandmother for school holidays in Asawase.
Their uncle, Anthony Frans, while preparing a room for the children’s stay, applied an insecticide, Toptoxin Fumigation tablet, also known as ‘bomb,’ to disinfect the room against bedbugs.
The three siblings, along with their grandmother, 66-year-old Ekua Gyaabena, slept in the room that night.
The siblings, along with their grandmother, were found unconscious in the room the following morning and were rushed to the hospital.
The two siblings, Christian Magdaline Efua Frans and Nana Benin, died upon arrival at the hospital, while the grandmother and Judith Ekua Frans were admitted.
Judith Ekua Frans later died while on admission.
Assembly member for the Asawase East Electoral area, Mathew Amissah, narrated the incident to Citi News and said the occurrence has thrown the community into grief.
“I was informed about the incident by a friend in my electoral area while on a visit to the hospital. I rushed to the ward and realized two of the victims had passed on. The grandmother and the eldest niece were also admitted to the Emergency Center ward of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital for further treatment. I assisted them, and we came to the police station, and the uncle of the deceased who applied the chemical was arrested and detained,” he explained.
The uncle of the deceased person, Anthony Frans, made his second appearance in court on Tuesday, January 9, 2024, after being detained as part of police investigations.
Police slapped him with a provisional charge of murder, and prosecutors were seeking ample time to continue with investigations.
But Defence Counsel, Evans Amankwaah, prayed for bail for him, which was granted by the court.
He said his client deserved the right to be granted bail while investigations continue.
He insisted that the incident was pathetic and that the police should soften its stance against his client.
The accused was granted a GH¢20,000 bail sum with two sureties.
The bodies of the deceased have been deposited at the morgue for preservation and autopsy.
The case was then adjourned to today, January 23, 2024.
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