Community Police officer jailed 15 years for defiling girl

A community police officer with the Airport Police Station has been jailed 15 years by the Accra Circuit Court for defiling a 10-year-old girl.

Bright Dzebu—who pleaded not guilty to the charge of defilement—was found guilty by the court, presided over by Christiana Cann, after a full trial.

The court held that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubts and established that Dzebu lured the girl into his room and had unprotected sex with her.

Afterwards, he warned the girl not disclose the act to anyone.

Menace to society

Delivering her judgement, Mrs Cann described Dzebu as a menace and threat to society who needed to be put away immediately.

According to her, it was important to slap the convict with a harsher sentence to serve as a deterrent to people who had made it a point to be defiling minors, adding that it was the only way the country could protect young girls and women from the preying eyes of men like Dzebu.

She described the action of Dzebu as “animalistic” and therefore he must be dealt with ruthlessly.

"He is a dangerous homosapien who needs to be put away immediately. He did not show mercy to the little child and therefore he does not deserve mercy,” the presiding judge added.

Facts

The fact of the case as read by the Prosecutor, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Agnes Boafo, was that the victim together with her aunt lived in the same neighbourhood with Dzebu. In October last year, the aunt of the girl went for a funeral, leaving the girl behind, she said.

"Dzebu took advantage of her absence and lured the victim into his room and forcibly had unprotected sexual intercourse with her", she added.

DSP Boafo said Dzebu warned the girl not to disclose what had happened to anyone including her aunt.

"However, during the early days of December, the victim fell sick and complained of severe abdominal pains and when quizzed by the complainant, narrated her ordeal to her", DSP Boafo said.

She continued that the victim's aunt reported the case to the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) where a police medical form report was issued to take the victim to a government hospital for examination and treatment.

The medical examination revealed that indeed the victim had been defiled. During the course of investigations, Dzebu was arrested and he admitted the offence in the investigation.

In an unsworn evidence to the court, Dzebu revealed he indeed had sex with the victim once and that he did not know what came over him.