Man, 19, jailed 8 years for defilement

A 19-year-old man has been sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment by an Accra Circuit Court for defiling a 12-year-old girl in Accra.

The convict, Somé Amos, a Burkinabe, was a cleaner at a shop belonging to the victim’s mother.

He told the court that it was normal in his country for a male to have intercourse with a female once she had seen his manhood, else he would become impotent in the future.

He pleaded not guilty to the charge of defilement, but the court, presided over by Mrs Christiana Cann, found him guilty after a full trial.

Facts

The facts, as presented by the prosecutor, Sergeant Opoku Aniagyei, were that in May, 2020, the complainant, the mother of the victim, went to the market leaving the girl at her shop.

He said while the girl was waiting for her mother to return from the market, Amos went around to do his usual cleaning at the shop.
Sgt Aniagyei said while the victim was washing plates, the man held her hand tightly, put her on the floor and forcibly had sex with her.

The prosecutor stated that the victim screamed for help, but nobody went to her rescue.

He said the complainant reported the matter to the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit of the Ghana Police Service when she returned and became aware of the act.

He added that a police medical form was issued to the complainant to send the daughter to the hospital for examination and treatment and secure a medical report, all of which were done, leading to the arrest of the suspect.

The case, however, travelled the full trial when the suspect pleaded not guilty to the offence of defilement.