Kumasi, Aug 5, GNA - Heavily built Eric Adjei Bawuah, facing rape and robbery charges in a Kumasi Circuit Court, could not open his defence as he broke down and wept uncontrollably like a baby. He had pleaded not guilty and was expected to tell his side of the story to the packed-to-capacity court at its sitting on Wednesday. Mr Adjei Frimpong, the judge, adjourned the case to August 6 to enable the accused to regain his composure and open his defence. Earlier, three prosecution witnesses including the 19-year- old victim and the police investigator testified and each was cross-examined by Bawuah amidst sobbing.

The accused in his caution statement to the police and which was read in court said the victim, a commercial sex worker, agreed to have sex with him at a fee of GH¢10 on July 29 and he paid. Having struck the mutual agreement, he stopped a taxi and they both joined.

The lady, he said, demanded that he took her to a hotel at Asokwa. Bawuah said as he was drunk after taking some bottles of Guinness, he refused to give in and instead asked the cab driver to take them to a spot, adjacent a washing bay and about 200 metres away from the Asafo Neoplan terminal.

The spot had at that time closed.

There, he said, the lady brought out a condom and fixed it on his penis herself.

The statement said in the course of the sex some men at the washing bay, who saw it was an eyesore, picked their clothes and made a report to the Zongo Police leading to his arrest.