Private legal practitioner Kofi Bekai has observed that the woman who reportedly whipped the corpse of her late son at an accident scene may have acted out of emotions.
He noted that her actions may not be subject to legal action.
However, if in the course of her actions she caused further damage to the deceased’s body, including stabbing, she may be subject to legal action.
He was responding to a question regarding whether the mother of the deceased young man had committed an offence after whipping her late son at the accident scene.
A grieving mother who stormed an accident scene at Kojokrom, a suburb in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis, whipped her son, stating that he was stubborn and failed to heed her advice.
The deceased young man, identified as Nathaniel Abdul, aka Osofo, was involved in a motor accident while riding his motorbike with another woman, said to be his side chick.
While riding his motorbike, he collided with a commercial trotro and died on the spot.
The young woman he was riding with sustained injuries and was rushed to the hospital for medical care but unfortunately succumbed to her injuries.
The bereaved mother of Osofo, upon arriving at the scene, whipped her son, saying that if he had stopped chasing after other women and focused on his marriage, he would still be alive.
Bekai described the scenario as an emotional outburst from a grieving mother and said it cannot be subjected to any legal action.
He added, however, that if she had used any sharp object to cut any part of the deceased’s body, she would likely have been held and possibly prosecuted.
Speaking in Nyankonton Mu Nsem on Rainbow Radio 87.5FM, “What happened can best be described as an emotional outburst. But if she had gone further in using, let’s say, a knife in cutting any part of the corpse or stabbed the body or done anything against the body, she may have offended the law.
“She may have been held for conducting herself indecently. The bottom line is that in this instance, she cannot be held liable for any offence. She was only being emotional and grieving.
“At the end of the day, the person is dead, and who would be the one to complain or serve as a witness in court? So legally, this is not justiciable, meaning the woman cannot be dragged to court and be prosecuted for what she did.”
