A 38-year-old driver, Mantey Larbi, of Abonko, near Tema New Town in the Greater Accra Region, has been arrested by the police for defiling a 10-month-old baby.

A medical report from the Tema General Hospital indicated that the baby's "hymen was opened with vaginal discharge and the presence of spermatozoa."

A police source told the paper that Aminatu Ibrahim (the baby's mother) and Comfort Oppong are friends living under the same roof with Mantey and his girlfriend, Kweiki, who is also their friend.

At about 2 am on October 6 2001, Aminatu woke up from sleep and realized her baby was nowhere to be found. She then woke Comfort up to assist her to search the house for her baby. They later chanced upon Mantey emerging from a nearby bush with the bay in hand.

When they questioned him, he told them that he found the baby outside on his return from attending to nature's call.

They took the baby from him and examined her after realizing her body was dirty and found blood oozing from the baby's private part.

The police source said that following their discovery; Aminatu and Comfort took the baby to an elderly woman in the neighbourhood for proper examination, which confirmed the girl had been defiled.

The matter was reported to the police who effected Mantey's arrest. He was arraigned in court last week but was remanded in prison custody.