“I love my wife and would never harm her” – Husband accused of shooting wife
A husband accused of shooting his seven-month pregnant wife and leaving her paralysed since 2016 has said he would never do anything to harm his partner.
Effort Dankwa, who was then 36 years when the unfortunate incident occurred, has professed his love for the wife Benita Dankwa.
The accused said he was deeply in love with his wife and was looking forward to having their first child.
“I love my wife, and I would never do anything to harm her or kill her. What happened on August 29, 2016, I pray that the truth is discovered”.
The accused person’s comments was contained in his caution statement, submitted to the police at the time of the investigation.
Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Robert Anabiik Angmain read out the testimony when he mounted the witness box on Thursday, April 15.
ASP Angmain is the fifth prosecution witness in the attempted murder case.
The police investigator revealed intriguing details of what the accused person said happened in the event where his pregnant wife was shot in the chest at dawn.
According to the investigator, the accused told the police that he slept around 8:30 pm on the said day and woke up at 3:00 am to realise his wife was bleeding profusely.
He said he was only in his boxer shorts, so he quickly took his towel and cleaned the bloodstains on the floor.
Mr Dankwa also debunked claims that he had given the blood-soaked towel to his sister-in-law to wash in an attempt to hide or tamper with the evidence.
The accused maintained that at no point did he ask his sister-in-law to wash the towel.
“I wish to state further as follows. I was wearing boxer shorts as was stated. I don’t remember where I kept the towel, and I don’t remember giving it to anyone to wash for me. What was important to me at that material moment was to save my wife and not waste my time on other things.
“We took her to the emergency ward and not the maternity ward as claimed. I did not shoot my wife. I am innocent of this claim,” the investigator narrated to the Accra High Court.
Other allegations
Mr Dankwa was also accused of having an extramarital affair with one Ernestina Dede, who he claimed was only a colleague at the Engel School in Tema, where he worked as a teacher.
He denied having any amorous relationship with the lady in question.
Before his testimony, his wife, Benita Dankwa, had accused him of having an affair, one of the reasons for the attempt on her life.
To clear all doubts, the police investigator who had in his possession a caution statement from Ernestina, said Effort Dankwa’s account about the lady was not entirely true.
“He (Effort Dankwa) asked for sex, and I told him to take me to his house since that will be the only way to know whether he was married or not because he told me he was single.
“He agreed and said he was staying at his parent’s house at Community 9. I did not go on the said day as arranged but later discovered his real address. When I traced him there, I called him, but he did not answer.
“He later confirmed that he was married and his wife (Benita Dankwa) was working a lot and always travelling. I told him I could only be his friend. He takes me to Prampram Beach at times.
“Anytime we meet, and I ask him about his wife, he gets angry. He never told me about his wife or that she was pregnant. I had no knowledge of his attempt to kill his wife,” the investigator read the lady’s account.
Why Effort Dankwa is in court
Effort Dankwa is alleged to have shot and paralysed his wife in 2016. He was charged with attempted murder.
He was arrested in 2016 after police investigations identified him as the prime suspect in an attack on his wife, Benita Dankwa, who was then 29.
Benita was seven months pregnant at the time the incident occurred. She was shot in the chest in what she believed was an attempt by her husband to kill her.
She survived the attack but ended up paralysed from her waist down to her feet.
She gave birth prematurely to save herself and her baby. The boy will be five years, this year.
Investigations by the police suggested there was no sign of forced entry. Neither was anything stolen at the night of the attack, contrary to claims by Effort Dankwa that armed robbers may have broken into the house.
The only person Benita spent the night with was her husband, leaving many to wonder what could have happened on the said day.
The case has been adjourned to April 20, 2021.
YOU MAY ALSO BE INTERESTED IN:
- My husband didn’t want to have children with me
- Pregnant wife tells court why she heard no sound
- Accused asked me to throw away bloody towel
- Your accusation comes from years of bitterness