A district court in Accra on Monday sentenced a trader believed to be in her 40’s to one week imprisonment for disturbing the courts.
Ernestina Peru held five courts housed in a two story building in the Accra Central District to ransom when she rained insults on a judge, court officials and Policemen.
The trader who came to court with two daughters did not only insult court officials but sang so loud and shook the iron bars of the cells to the hearing of everyone. A source at the court said this was the second time Ernestina was behaving that way.
The sources said Ernestina, a plaintiff in a civil suit came to the court in the morning but when the case was called Ernestina was not around but the defendants were in court.
The court however adjourned the matter to March 19. Some minutes later, the source said, Ernestina returned to the court and she was informed that the matter (a civil case) had been adjourned. Ernestina did not take kindly to that and accused the sitting judge Ms Mavis Quainoo that she taken a bribe from the defendants.
The convict further insisted that the matter be recalled and threatened to attack the defendants at Tudu, where they sell their wares. Ernestina amidst shouting stated that the judge could not do anything to her and that she should go ahead and jail her.
“I will do my own case. I have the power,” Ernestina said. Nothing could calm Ernestina down except than to arrest her and put her into the court cells. Her incarceration at the cells however worsened the matter as this time around she shook the iron bars of the cell and screamed.
Ernestina pleaded guilty to disturbing the court. The court convicted Ernestina on her own plea. Although the main gate to the cells had been locked, one could hear Ernestina’s screams at the court premises.
As at the time the GNA was leaving the Court premises, Ernestina had switched to the singing of loud gospel tunes although in cells awaiting her transfer to the Nsawam Medium Security Prisons.
Ernestina’s two daughters aged 12 and two years, were also seen loitering at the court premises.