Crime & Punishment of Wednesday, 3 December 2014

Source: GNA

Driver jailed for defilement

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An Accra Circuit Court, Presided over by Miss Sedina Agbemava Tuesday sentenced a driver, William Mensah, to 15 years imprisonment for defiling a 10-year-old girl and for indecent assault.

For his sentence, Mensah would serve three years each for two counts of indecent assault and nine years for defilement all to run concurrently.

Mensah was convicted after a full trial.

Before the judgment was read, the counsel for the convict pleaded for a lighter sentence for his client, saying the convict was a first time offender and has been in custody since February 28, 2014.

Prosecuting Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Detective Chief Inspector Kofi Atimbiri told the court that the complainant was the mother of the victim.

He said the convict together with the mother of the victim lived in the same house at La Apapa in Accra.

He said the victim used to watch television with some other children in the sitting room of the convict.

The prosecution said Mensah in 2011/2012 called the victim into his sitting room and made her to lie on the woolen carpet and inserted his finger into her vagina.

He said again in the same year, the convict as usual called the victim into his sitting room and again defiled her through the anus.

ASP Atimbiri said in all these acts, the convict warned the victim not to tell anyone and this she kept to herself.

“Complainant had information that, the victim has a bad odour from the vagina and also wet her dress anytime she sat down,” he added.

He said this made the complainant to question the victim and even examined the vagina and found some fluid in it and when questioned, the victim refused to tell her anything.

He said on February 20 last year, the complainant again questioned the victim and she told her the truth and a complaint was made to the police.

A medical form was issued for the victim to be taken to the hospital.

He said the victim stated that the convict defiled her through the anus and was sent to the same hospital for examination and treatment.

The convict was later arrested.