Crime & Punishment of Wednesday, 2 November 2022

Source: ghanaiantimes.com.gh

Man jailed 21 years for defiling 11-year-old daughter

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A 51-year-old electrician has been sentenced to 21 years imprisonment by the Accra Circuit Court for having sex with his 11-year-old biological daughter, at Gbawe, Accra. The court sentenced James Kotaah to 21 years on the charge of defilement and 21 years on the charge of incest, all to run concurrently. Kotaah, who did not have any legal representation, admitted before the court, presided over by Mrs. Christina Cann, that he had sex with the victim and pleaded guilty. According to the convict, he had sex with the girl on two occasions, but she told the court that the father had sex with her eleven times and that he sometimes did it through her anus. The accused pleaded to be cautioned so that he could go home and cater for the girl, whose mother died last year. Kotaah said, “My Lord, please caution me. The victim’s mother is dead, and I am the one taking care of her”. The court ordered the investigator to take the victim to the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit, at the Police headquarters, for counselling. Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Agnes Boafotold the court that the complainant was a trader residing at Gbawe, Accra while Kotaah resided within the same vicinity with the victim. The prosecution said the victim, 11, was in class three, and the father resided in a kiosk with the victim, who lost her mother a year ago. DSP Boafo said that the convict had sex with the victim and she disclosed this to her headteacher. The prosecution said on October 24, this year, at about 12:00 am, Kotaah had sex with her and threatened her not to tell anyone else she would die. DSP Boafo said the victim, who experienced pain after the act, informed her aunty. The prosecution said accused was nabbed by the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit of the Ghana Police Service.