The Bekwai Circuit Court in Ashanti Region has convicted a 29-year-old farm labourer at Manso Antoakrom to 15 years imprisonment with hard labour for defiling a two-year-old girl.

The Prosecutor Detective Chief Inspector Stephen Ofori told the court presided by His Honour Mark Diboro that, the convict, Kwame Oppong Kyekyeku, lives closer to the complainant and his daughter in the same neighbourhood.

On January 18, 2021, the victim was with the mother at the roadside selling when she disappeared. The complainant who is her father sent two elder siblings of the victim to search for her while he also combed the community.

A nine-year-old child in the neighbourhood gave a tip-off that she saw the victim following the convict into his room.

The father quickly dashed to the house of the convict, forcefully entered the room, and to his amazement, found the convict naked on the bed with the victim who was half-naked.

The father of the victim raised alarm forcing the brother of the convict to come out from his room to the scene to witness the incident.

Other residents around rushed to the house and helped to arrest the suspect, marched him naked to the police station to lodge a formal complaint.

Police issued a medical report form to the victim to be examined by a medical Doctor.

A Doctor at St.Martin’s Catholic Hospital who examined the victim wrote in the report that “hymen partially broken and partially accommodate the index finger. No spermatozoa was seen, mild bleeding per vagina seen and mild bruises seen at the genital”.

The convict, however, denied having sex or fingering the victim during his caution statement to Police.

He explained that he undressed before the victim to change his dress after attending a funeral.

After investigation, he was charged with defilement and indecent assault.

The Presiding judge found him guilty of defilement but discharged and acquitted him on indecent assault.