An Accra Circuit Court presided over by Her Honour, Mrs. Abena Oppong Adjin Doku has sentenced a 38 year old trader, Stephanas Akuffo, alias Kobby, to twelve years imprisonment with hard labour for defiling a nine year old girl.
The Accused, a resident of Taifa Burkina, pleaded ‘guilty’ to the offence of defilement, knelt and begged the court to forgive him for he was remorseful but the law was applied.
The judge after inquiring from the Accused and knowing he had a girlfriend told him during sentencing that, she sees no reason why he should have a girlfriend who he claims comes to spend the night each day with him, and still prefer a nine year old innocent girl for sex.
The judge also learning the Accused has a 12 year old son said, she is sentencing him to 12 years with hard labour because he should have even taken into consideration that his child is older than the victim and should not have had sex with her.
The Prosecutor, Chief Inspector Judith B. Asante told the court that, the incident happened on the 29th of April this year when the victim had gone on a weekend vacation to her Auntie at ‘Nkatie-Burga’, a suburb of Taifa Burkina.
She narrated that the victim was playing with other children in front of their house when the Accused lured her into his room and had sex with her.
When he was done, he gave her GH₵1 and warned her not to tell anybody.
“The girl for fear also did not tell anybody until 8th of May, 2018, when she became ill and finally confessed her ordeal to the mother”, Chief Inspector Asante added.
According to the Prosecutor, the victim’s mother reported the case to the Police at Amasaman and was later transferred to THE Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service at the Tesano Divisional Police Command. The Accused was consequently arrested.
Source: GhanaJustice/F.Kyeremateng
