The Takoradi Habour Circuit Court A, presided over by His worship, Michael Kwodjoe Ampadu, has asked the lady at the centre of the alleged faked pregnancy and kidnapping case, Josephine Panyin Mensah, and her lawyer to file all witness statements.
The statements should be filed by the next sitting date, June 7, 2022, before the party could open their defence.
Josephine Panyin Mensah has been charged with two counts of deceiving public officer contrary to section 251 (B) of the Criminal Offences Act and publication of false news.
She was expected to open her defence before the court today, May 19, 2022, after the court overruled her no-case application at the last sitting.
Speaking to Citi News after the case was adjourned, her lawyer, Philip Fiifi Buckman said they are still organising their witnesses but are working on having credible witnesses by the next sitting.
“Today, we were to start with our defence for the accused person to open her defence but unfortunately, we could not file our witness statement because we need to put our witnesses together. So we came to pray to the court for it to grant us leave. Fortunately, the court was gracious to us and has given us some little leave. I believe that, by the time we come back on June 7, we would have filed, and the case will progress”, the lawyer said.
Josephine Panyin Mensah, has been in the news after the media reported that she was nine months pregnant and had been kidnapped during a dawn walk.
She resurfaced later at Axim in the Western Region without her alleged pregnancy or baby.
She had claimed that she delivered the same day she went missing and that the kidnappers had stolen her baby.
Reports later emerged that her claims were false, as her alleged pregnancy and kidnapping were all staged.
However, some members of the public, including Josephine Panyin Mensah’s family and neighbours, had insisted she was pregnant at the time of her disappearance.
She has pleaded not guilty to the charges levelled against her.