Regional News of Thursday, 8 April 2004

Source: GNA

A corn miller jailed 25 years for defilement in Techiman

Techiman (B/A) April 8, GNA- The Techiman circuit court on Wednesday slapped a 25 year jail term in hard labour on Alhaji Senna, a 38-year-old corn miller at Wenchi Zongo in Brong Ahafo for defiling a 13 year-old pupil of Wenchi Islamic Public School.

Alhaji Senna pleaded guilty for defiling the pupil under section 101 of Act 29/60 as amended by section 11 of Act 554/98.

Prosecuting, Police Chief Inspector Sampson Y. Jebuni told the court, presided over by Mr. Justice Erasmus Gyinae that on April 5, this year, the pupil was sent by her parents at Wenchi Zongo to take a quantity of maize to the accused's corn mill for grinding.

Chief Inspector Jebuni said after the maize had been ground the victim pleaded with the accused to pay one thousand cedis but the Alhaji pulled her to him, tied her on a table and stripped her naked and forcibly had sex with her.

A prospective witness in the case got to the scene and met the accused busily having sex with the victim and raised an alarm, the prosecutor said. Chief Inspector Jebuni said the accused was arrested and sent to the police station together with the victim, where she was issued with a medical form to attend Wenchi Methodist Hospital for examination. The medical report, the prosecutor added, revealed that the victim had been sexually assaulted.

Mr. Justice Gyinae in sentencing the accused noted that the conduct of the accused was dangerous and apprehensive and should therefore be kept away from a decent society, warning that the law courts will not deal leniently with such persons.