Crime & Punishment of Tuesday, 7 July 2015

Source: Daily Guide

3 get 42 years for defilement

Library Photo: Jail Library Photo: Jail

Three people have been jailed a total of 42 years by an Accra Circuit Court for defilement.

They are David Kofi Akuttey, 19, electrician; Eric Doda, 24, driver; and Samuel Mensah, 48, cook.

In the case of Kofi, he was convicted on his plea of guilty simplicita while the other two went through full trial.

The court, presided over by Mrs Rita Agyeman-Budu, found Eric and Samuel guilty of the offence preferred against them by the prosecution and convicted them accordingly.

The trial judge jailed Kofi for 12 years and 15 years each for Eric and Samuel.

According to the prosecutor, D/Insp Kofi Atimibri, Kofi on June 20 this year defiled the victim aged 13 when she had gone to a public bath house at Osu to bath.

He said the accused sneaked into the bathroom where the victim was taking her bath, covered her month, pushed her to the floor and forcibly had sexual intercourse with her.

D/Insp Atimbiri stated that the victim took her bath and went home without telling anybody until the next day when she had abdominal pains. She then told the complainant her ordeal, leading to the arrest of the accused.

Kofi, in his caution statement, admitted having inserted his manhood into the victim’s genital.

Eric, on the other hand, was standing trial for defiling a 12-year-old class five pupil at Adenta, a suburb of Accra.

D/Insp J.B. Asante told the court that the victim stayed with the mother, who was once a fiancée to Eric, and that during that period the accused took advantage of the victim and had sexual intercourse with her four times.

The police officer said on January 17, 2015 at about 11pm the accused, aware that the mother of the child had travelled, took advantage of the situation and sneaked into the room of the victim and had carnal knowledge of her. He then warned her not to tell anybody but the child defied the warning and told her father, leading to the arrest of Eric.

For Samuel, the court heard that he lured the victim, aged 10, into his room at Ofankor, also a suburb of Accra.