Eric Asante, a 40-year-old teacher who was handed a 15-year jail term for defilement, has been absolved from the offence after fresh evidence exonerated him from wrongdoing.

A five-member Supreme Court panel presided over by Justice Anin Yeboah acquitted and discharged the former teacher on Thursday January 26 after DNA proved that the teacher was not the father of the baby that resulted after the alleged sexual act.

He was sentenced in 2005 by the Tamale High Court for defiling one Rubamatu Mohammed, then a 14-year-old pupil at the school Asante taught.

Mr Asante, who had an initial appeal rejected, proceeded to the Supreme Court in 2012 and the court ordered for a paternity test to be carried out.

The results, however, indicated that he was not the father of the child. The Supreme Court then asked Mr Asante to apply for compensation from the state.

Human rights lawyer Francis Xavier Sosu, who was counsel for the accused, said his client would follow up on the court’s directive.