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02.02.2008 Disaster

Wife’s prayer angers hubby and he butchers her

02.02.2008 LISTEN
By The Mirror


A wife's prayer that Jesus Christ should save her husband from falling down angered the husband so much that he inflicted several machete wounds on her, leading to her death at New Ayoma in the Jasikan District of the Volta Region last Thursday.

According to a source close to the couple, Adelaine Abra Addae, a 45-year-old trader, returned from the market and was preparing 'Akple' for supper with her 13-year-old daughter, Mawufemor Dogble, when her husband, Simon Kofi Dogble, 52, an akpeteshie distiller, returned home from work.

Dogble was said to have stumbled and nearly fell, so his wife, who was busily cooking, shouted, "Jesus".

When Dogble regained his composure, he shouted, "Wait, you will see", and rushed into the room, returning bare-chested and wielding a machete.

"Before Adelaine became aware of what was going on, Dogble was on her and had delivered the first cut of the machete to her head, the source said.

Adelaine was said to have got up in shock and shouted for help.

Incidentally, at that time most of the neighbours were pre-occupied with the Ghana Namibia match and so her shouts for help did not attract them.

In her attempt to run away, Adelaine fell into the hedge separating their house from the next one, the blood from the cut on her head blinding her. Dogble rushed on her and inflicted several deep machete wounds on her.

Mawufemor's shouts attracted the attention of an old man who was sitting in front of his house, who also raised an alarm which brought some few people to the scene. They took Adelaine to the hospital and informed the police about the incident.

Adelaine was pronounced dead on arrival at the New Ayoma Health Centre and was transferred to the Hohoe District Hospital morgue for autopsy.

According to a police source, when the police got to the crime scene, Dogble was still bare-chested, with blood all over his body. He was arrested and placed in police custody. The machete was later retrieved from the hedges.

Dogble got married to Adelaine in 1986 and they have five children aged between 22 and eight.

Expressing his grief at the incident, the Assembly Member for the area, Mr Ellias Dzenu, who said he had known the couple since 1983, described Adelaine as "affable, respectful and law-abiding" .

Dogble is in police custody assisting in investigations.

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