Woman defaces Nursing Mum

Bernice Addo in police custody and Ophelia Adzrago (inset) at the hospital

Bernice Addo, a 21-year-old woman, has been arrested by the police for pouring boiling water on a nursing mother while she was taking her bath.

Suspect Bernice allegedly carried out the act after engaging the victim, Ophelia Adzrago, in a fierce fight a day before at their house at Kotobabi in Accra.

Ophelia, who suffered severe burns, has been hospitalised at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital after the Mamobi Polyclinic refused her admission due to the intensity of the burns.

The suspect is currently in the custody of the Kotobabi District Police Command awaiting trial.

Bernice Addo, according to information, had been at loggerheads with the victim for some time now.

On Friday, September 7, 2012, Bernice confronted Ophelia, who was then bathing her 10-month-old baby, for allegedly gossiping about her.

The suspect sustained injury on her face and her neck as a result of the scuffle between the two.

The following morning, Bernice, who had earlier threatened to deal with the victim severely, boiled some hot water to bathe.

When the suspect realised that the nursing mother had entered the bath house, she quickly poured the hot water into a bucket and poured it on the victim, who was then naked in the bath house.

The husband of the victim, Yaw Amegayi, who heard the wife screaming, rushed to her rescue.

She was rushed to the Mamobi Polyclinic for medical treatment but was referred to the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital for intensive care.

Meanwhile, the nursing mother told DAILY GUIDE on her hospital bed that before the incident, Bernice always fought her in the house.

She said she had reported the matter to the parents of the suspect, but they did nothing about it.

“The day before the incident, the suspect approached me while I was bathing my child that one Caro, also a neighbor, had said I had gossiped about her.

“This resulted in a fight but we were separated,” the victim told DAILY GUIDE.

She added that the suspect threatened to teach her a lesson that she would forever regret.

On that fateful day, she said, while taking her bath, someone poured hot water on her.

“In an attempt to escape, the person poured more on my breast so I had rushed out and saw Bernice standing with an empty bucket and aggressively holding a fork in defence, to stab me if I dare approach her,” she narrated.

She said her husband came to her rescue and together with other co-tenants, they rushed her to the Mamobi Polyclinic.

“My husband later reported the matter to the police for action,” she added.

The Kotobabi District Police Commander, DSP E. Tieku

Dankwa, who confirmed the story, said Bernice Addo was in police custody awaiting prosecution while investigations continued.