Agona Swedru, May 14, GNA - A Circuit Court at Agona Swedru, presided over by Mr Robert K.K. Asaase, has sentenced a 30-year-old farmer to 15 years imprisonment in hard labour for defiling an 11-year-old schoolgirl.

Kobina Andoh resident at Agona Anyinam, a village near Agona Nkum was convicted on his own plea with an explanation that he committed the offence under the influence of alcohol. Prosecuting, Inspector Comfort Darko told the court that the victim lived with the parents at Agona Anyinam and was sent to sell dry fish in the surrounding villages.

She said while the girl was going round, on reaching Ahonyaa village, the accused person saw her and invited her to a cocoa farm with pretext of buying some of the dry fish. According to the prosecution, the accused person pounced on the poor girl and put her down in the bush and forcibly assaulted her sexually.

She told the court that after the act, the accused warned the girl not to disclose it to anyone else she would die.

The Prosecution said the victim felt some pains in her private part and could not walk properly and when the mother asked her she mentioned the accused person as the one who sexually assaulted her. According to Inspector Darko, the matter was reported to the police and when the accused heard about it he bolted from the village, but resurfaced and was arrested on May 5, this year.

She said the accused admitted the offence in his caution statement and a medical report proved that the victim has been defiled.