Court orders HIV/AIDS test on "blood tutor"

Accra, June 28, GNA - A Circuit Court in Accra on Tuesday ordered the Police to conduct an HIV/AIDS test on Amaglo Efo-Yao, a French Teacher of Mother Mary's School at South Odorkor, Accra, who allegedly induced pupils of the school to lick his blood during a trial by ordeal. This was after the Prosecution had informed the Court that it needed an order to enable them to carry out the test on Amaglo and the victims at the Police Hospital in Accra.

Amaglo, whose plea was not taken, has been charged with trial by ordeal. He has no counsel to represent him.

The Court remanded him into Police custody to reappear on July 7. Superintendent of Police Elizabeth Alormatu had told the Court at the last sitting that the Police had not completed investigations and, therefore, needed more time to conduct further investigations. She said the Police wanted Amaglo to undergo HIV/AIDS test but when the case came up on Tuesday, the Prosecution informed the Court that they were unable to conduct the test because "we need an order of the Court to do that".

The facts of the case are that on June 16, 2005, two female tutors of the school reported that someone had stolen 10 euros and 78,000 cedis from their bags.

Staff of the school held a meeting and agreed to conduct a search on pupils at the preparatory level but they did not find the money. While pondering on whether to extend the search to the Junior Secondary School pupils, Amaglo assembled some of the pupils without any notice of the school authorities, cut his right leg with a blade and used a black stone to wipe the blood.

Amaglo, thereafter, asked the pupils to lick the blood from the stone.

He further told the pupils that if the thief failed to confess, he or she would have his or her intestines cut in the manner he had used the blade to cut himself.

This did not go down well with some of the pupils, who reported the matter to their parents.

On the night of June 15 and June 16, the Director of the School received a series of calls and complaints from some parents on the matter.

When the Director of the School contacted the Headmaster, he said he had not received any complaint.

The School Authorities held a meeting with some parents to enable them to make their complaints after which the Headmaster reported the matter to the Police, who arrested the accused.