Man, 30, jailed 20 years for defiling girl, 10, in Achimota Forest

Thirty year old Kwame Mensah will spend 20 years in hard labour in jail for taking his libido to another level and defiling a 10 –year-old girl in the Achimota Forest Reserve.

The Accra Circuit Court, presided over by Mrs Janet Harriet Akweley Quaye, slapped Mensah with the jail term on Monday after it found him guilty of defilement and sentenced him accordingly.

He had pleaded not guilty to the charge but the court in the judgement held that the prosecution proved beyond reasonable doubt to establish his guilt.

“Have mercy”

Mensah virtually became a broken man after his conviction and pleaded with the court to have mercy on him because he had a wife and a child to cater for.

“Please have mercy on me beacuse I am the breadwinner of my family,’’ he said.

Arrest

Mensah was arrested by members of the Achimota Forestry Rapid Response Task Force of the Forestry Commission who chanced on him as he was dressing up just after having sexual intercourse with the 10-year-old girl.

He was then sent to the Greater Accra Regional Manager of the commission, Mrs Edith Esi Ansah who handed him over to the police.

During the trial, Mensah claimed he was arrested by Mrs Ansah and another officer of the commission when he was standing by the roadside.

The presiding judge then asked him why Mrs Ansah or anybody would arrest him at the said roadside.

Mensah answered that one of the officers knew him because he (Mensah) once stole his fowl.

Facts

The facts, as presented by the prosecutor, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Agnes Boafo, are that the victim is a pupil while Mensah is unemployed.

On January 17, 2017, Mensah spotted the girl at her school and convinced her to follow him in order to collect some books and pens for her teacher.

The prosecutor said Mensah lured the girl to board a car and took her to the Achimota Forest Reserve, where he asked her to lie on the floor.

“The girl refused and started crying. Mensah slapped her and pulled out a knife, threatening to kill her if she does not comply. He then had sexual intercourse with her,” ASP Boafo said.

The prosecutor explained that luck, however, eluded Mensah when he was spotted by the Achimota Forestry Rapid Response Task Force just as he started dressing after the sexual act.

After a hot chase, ASP Boafo said Mensah was arrested and sent to Mrs Ansah, who lodged a complaint with the police.