Crime & Punishment of Wednesday, 22 August 2018

Source: 3news.com

Man gets 8-year jail term for attempting to sell-off 10-year-old son for GHC60K

Each of the two men will serve 8 years. Each of the two men will serve 8 years.

The man who was arrested for attempting to sell off his 10-year-old son to a National Democratic Congress chairman for financial breakthrough has been sentenced to serve an eight-year prison term.

Peter Aidoo, a farm hand, was arrested two weeks ago together with his cousin, Samuel Aido who has also been handed down eight years imprisonment.

He was said to have told his friends at a ‘drugs ghetto’ that he was looking for someone to buy his son because he was a stubborn child.

The NDC chairman for Ellembele constituency, Alex Mahama, who had a tip-off of the man’s intention, feigned interest and arranged a meeting with the father of the child at the Melvina Lodge at Ellembele.

He informed the police at Anyinase about the incident following which an officer was assigned to him to help effect the arrest of the suspect.

According to the NDC chairman, he told the person through whom he got the information about the sale of the child to inform the suspect he was ready to buy the boy who was being sold at a price of 100,000 cedis.

He said they agreed on Saturday, August 4, 2018 with the suspect following which they booked room 13 at Melvina Lodge for the transaction.

Because the chairman is a known figure, he said he got the Assembly member of Awiebo electoral area to be his ‘agent’ for the transaction.

The suspect on Saturday night showed up at the venue with his accomplice as agreed.

At the venue, the assembly member and the two suspects bargained and agreed on 60,000 cedis after which the accomplice left the scene to bring the 14-year-old boy while the father stayed at the hotel to have dinner.

The Police was signaled and just when the accomplice brought the boy to the hotel, they moved in and arrested the two.

On August 17, the two were put before the Takoradi Circuit Court where the 35-year old father was sentenced after he pleaded guilty to the offence.

The victim is now being catered for by the NDC chairman who has enrolled him in a vacation class