An Accra High Court has sentenced Mr Anthony Bleworda to five (5) years imprisonment for having sex with her daughter since she was 16 years old and fathering with her five children, three of whom have since died. Mr Bleworda admitted that he had a strong urge to sleep with his own 16-year-old daughter the first day he saw her after several year’s sojourn abroad.

The daughter, identified as Matilda Bleworda, who is now in her mid twenties, is reported to have later developed mental health problems. Speaking to Peace FM and the Domestic Violence And Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU), Matilda disclosed that she willingly gave in to his father’s sexual advances the first day she saw him because her father enticed her with lots of money, but the subsequent encounters were all against her will. An earlier medical report had revealed that Matilda had indeed developed mental problems. She however stressed to Peace FM in an interview that she has now been completely cured.

She added that she did not know in the beginning that Mr. Bleworda was her real father. She believed instead that her grandfather whom she had known since her infancy was. According to her she asked the father to stop sleeping with her but he refused, claiming she was married to him by virtue of their having children together.

In an interview with Peacefmonline, the spokesperson for DOVVSU, Inspector Irene Oppong confirmed that Mr Bleworda has been sentenced for 5 years imprisonment. In answer to querries about why the seemingly minimal nature of the punishment, Inspector Oppong said the court took into account the girl’s admission that she was 16 years old when her father first slept with her and also that she consented to the act for which reason he couldn’t be charged with rape.

She explained that the stipulated sentencing range for incest for which Mr. Bleworda was found guilty is between 3 to 25 years. She explained that it took the court this long to dispose of the case because the man was having health issues midway into his prosecution. Peace FM managed to secure a major scoop and broke the scandal to a horrified country in September of last year.