Accra: A Hohoe Magistrate Court has sentenced a 31-year-old painter to a fine of GHS1,200 for insulting his neighbour as a witch and having a bitter flesh.

According to Ghana News Agency, Fia Foli Philip, the accused, has also been ordered by the court to pay an amount of GHS5,000 as compensation to the complainant and never call her a witch again. Chief Inspector Charles Aziati, prosecuting, urged the court, presided over by Mr. Joseph Y. Kunsong, to impose a severe punishment on the convict to deter others from labeling older women in society as witches.

He further stated that such behavior was intolerable and deviated from cultural norms. The incident occurred on December 28, 2021, when the convict stood directly opposite the complainant’s house and insulted her by calling her a witch. Fia Foli Philip also accused the complainant of being involved in the death of one late Musa and remarked about the complainant’s ‘bitter’ flesh.

The complainant, who was in the house with her physically challenged daughter, a witness in the case, reported the incident to the police at Gbi-Bla, leading to the arrest of the accused.