Crime & Punishment of Sunday, 17 November 2013

Source: Daily Guide

Man fingers daughter

Seth Onomah, the 33-year-old father of a 20-month-old baby has been arraigned after he was believed to have fingered his daughter while she was with him for few days.

The accused person tried to conceal what was wrong with the baby from her grandmother whom she lives with by refusing to send her back, saying that she was sick and needed to recuperate.

Onomah was dragged to court along with his nephew, Richard Boamah and brother-in-law, Isaac Denkyira.

They were charged with indecent assault in a court presided over by Sedina Agbemava and they denied any wrongdoing.

They were remanded in police custody to reappear in court on December 18, 2013.

Narrating events leading to the arrest of the accused person, Detective Inspector Kofi Atimbire said the complainant is Margaret Ayeh, the grandmother of the victim with whom the baby lives at Ablekuma while the accused persons are relatives and live in the same house at Oblogo.

Inspector Atimbire said in 2011 the baby’s mother died, and her grandmother took custody of her, adding that Onomah wanted the victim to stay with him, but the complainant refused.

According to him, the baby’s father went to a Juvenile Court to complain and was allowed to see her on the last week of every month.

The Inspector further stated that on July 27, 2012, Onomah took the baby to spend a few days with him and promised to send her back to the complainant but did not do so.

In addition, he said the complainant asked Onomah to bring the baby back but he refused, so she went to the Juvenile Court and Onomah was ordered to produce the child, but he informed the court that his baby was unwell and was recuperating.

The police officer stated that the father of the victim later brought her to the grandmother together with some medicine. The grandmother took her home, and while bathing her in the evening the baby started crying when she wanted to wash her vagina. When the grandmother checked the child’s vagina, she realized that something was wrong.

The inspector stated that the complainant consequently lodged a complaint with the police who gave a form for the girl to be treated and a report to be submitted on her.

Explaining further, he noted that after the report was issued, the case docket was sent to the Attorney-General for advice and upon that the suspects were arraigned.