The Asamankese Circuit Court presided over by His Honour Abass Abubakari Adams has sentenced a twenty-seven-year-old Palm Wine Tapper to seven years imprisonment in hard labor for defiling a ten-year-old girl at Bredu in the Kwaebibirim District.
After a full trial, the accused, Albert Bonney was convicted by the court.
According to Detective Inspector Wisdom Banson the complaint, Janet Opoku aged 27 is a hairdresser and resident of Oyarifa, Accra. The victim, Margaret Appiah, 10, is a class one pupil of Kwabena Amoah Methodist Primary school, Okumaning. The victim lives with her grandparents at Bredu a village near Okumaning.
The accused Albert Bonney, 27, is a palmwine tapper and a resident of Okumaning.
The accused and victim’s grandparents’ farm is in the same area at Breda village. There is a Breadfruit popularly known in local parlance as “D’ball” in the accused farm where the victim usually goes there in search of the same.
On 29/10/2021 complainant attended a funeral at Bredu village and observed that the victim looks frail and pale. The complainant approached the victim and inquired what was wrong with sue the victim.
The victim then confided in the complainant that, on 27/10/2021 at about 2:00pm she went to the accused farm to look for D’ball. The accused upon seeing the victim on his farm lured her into a mud room on the farm and had sexual intercourse with her.
On 30/10/2021 the complainant reported the case to the police and police medical forms were issued to the complainant to send the victim to Kade Government Hospital for treatment and examination. However, the victim was admitted to the said hospital upon arrival. The accused was arrested on the same day the case was reported to the police.
On 06/11/2021, the victim was discharged from Kade Government Hospital and the complainant submitted an endorsed police medical report signed by Dr. Kevin Edem Atutsey which read “the hymen is Annala indicating victim has been successfully penetrated vaginally”.
After investigations, the accused was charged with the offense and arraigned before this honorable court.
Accused in his caution statement denied having sexual intercourse with the victim.
Source: Mybrytfmonline.com/Mensah Atakora
