Pastor Kwame Kussi of the Warriors of Zion Prayer Camp at Asante Kweku near Nsawam, who is alleged to have whipped a woman to death on claims that she was a witch, has been refused bail by the Nsawam Magistrate Court.
He is consequently to reappear on August 31, 2009 in the Magistrate court presided over by Mr. Joseph Mensah.
This was after Emmanuel Frank Yankey, counsel for the accused person made an application for his client to be granted bail on account that the facts presented, did not support the charges levelled against the spiritual consultant.
He said a pathology report of the deceased as established stated that the deceased died as a result of ‘High Blood Failure’ and not from being whipped.
Mr Frank Yankey said the fact of the case did not support the charges as the deceased was said to have been suffering from several diseases such as high blood pressure and was also a habitual drunkard.
The accused pastor who stood motionless and in a meditative mood remained silent as the presiding Judge refused him bail.
Giving the facts in court, the Prosecuting Officer, Inspector Francis Acquaye told the court that Kwame Kussi of the Warriors Zion Prayer Camp testified during a deliverance service that two children of the deceased, Madam Esther Ayeley, were witches and he could cast the demons out of them.
He said in the course of casting the supposed demons out the two girls claimed their mother gave them the witchcraft.
“Pastor Kwame Kussi ordered that the deceased be brought to the camp for her witchcraft to be cast out,†the Prosecutor added.
Chief Inspector Acquaye said on August 8, 2009 Pastor Kussi and other members at the camp, in the course of the so-called deliverance, whipped the deceased with canes, in order to extract a confession out of her.
The deceased vehemently denied that she was a witch and when the accused person found out that she was adamant despite the maltreatment, he released.
However the next day August 9, 2009 the dead body of Madam Esther Ayeley was found lying near the prayer camp.
A report was made and the accused person was arrested but the other members who were involved in the caning fled the camp.
By Linda Tenyah