[ 2021-03-14 ]

Court fines Pastor for spreading faeces
Michael Avanyo, the Head Pastor of Gethsemane
Prayer Ministry in Suhum, has been fined a sum of
GHC1,200 or in default serve three months
imprisonment with hard labour.

The accused person was charged with spillage of
human effluent on his premises by the presiding
Magistrate of the Suhum Magistrate Court, Her
lordship Mrs Cynthia Blagoggee, after he failed to
comply with the notice served on him by
Environmental Health Officers.

He pleaded guilty with an explanation but this was
not accepted by the court and a fine slapped on
him.

According to the prosecutor, Mr George Theophilus
Agyalo, Senior Health Environmental Officer, the
accused person is the head pastor of the church at
Suhum and also a landlord.

He said on December 11, last year Environmental
Health Officers followed up on a complaint made by
Avanyo's neighbours.

On the scene, they noticed spillage of human
excreta from a digester was flowing through the
street behind the premises.

The accused person was informed to liaise with the
Environmental Office to disinfect the place to
render the pathogens inactive but he failed to do
so.

The prosecutor said on January 12, this year a
team of Environmental Health Officers led by Joe
Gyato and Isaac Yeboah made another follow-up to
the scene but the situation was unchanged.

He noted that the mess created was likely to cause
the spread of faecal-oral diseases such as
cholera, typhoid, especially as it is on the bare
ground and exposed to flies and other domestic
animals.

Mr Agyalo said efforts made by Environmental
Health Officers proved futile due to the
recalcitrant attitude exhibited by the accused
person and he was brought to court.

Source - GNA

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