Two pastors arrested for making noise

The task force of the Environmental and Health Department of the Shama Ahanta East Metropolitan Assembly in the Western Region has in collaboration with other security personnel arrested two pastors for flouting a directive against noise making.

The two pastors, Robert Baidoo and Joseph Amoah were arrested at the Tanokrom cluster of schools which they had been using as their church grounds.

Their arrest follows the intensification of the assembly's campaign against noise making in the Metropolis.

They have consequently been put before the Takoradi Magistrate Court presided over by Samuel Encee and charged with the offence of nuisance contrary to section 105 paragraph 7(a) of the Assembly's bye laws.

The two pastors pleaded not guilty to the offence and the sitting judge fined them an amount of five hundred thousand cedis each, in default of which they would serve three months in prison.

Delivering his judgment, Mr Encee told the two pastors not to see the security team that caused their arrest as evil people. This was because noise had serious effect on human beings.

Prosecuting earlier, the Assembly Prosecutor, Anthony Hayford had told the court that the two ministers had no church grounds and used the Assembly's cluster of school building at Tanokrom for their church activities.

According to him, on 20th March this year, the assembly had a report that the two pastors continued to make excessive noise from their church equipment such as amplifiers and loud speakers.

Based on this the assembly dispatched two military officers and the Metropolitan Guards to the area where they monitored the noise levels of the two pastors' church activities with a noise level meter and found them to be causing a nuisance.