A driver has appeared before an Accra Domestic Violence and Gender Based Court for allegedly defiling a 13-year-old.
The accused, Sulemana Mohammed Razak, 21, reportedly defiled the victim in a kiosk at the Madina Lorry Station in Accra.
Razak and four others took turns to defile the victim after they had lured her into a kiosk under the pretext of buying pure water from her.
Appearing before Abena Oppong Adjin-Doku, the accused person admitted having sex with the victim, saying the victim told him that she was 16.
Razak said the victim came to him sick and he went to buy some Quick Action tablet for her and asked her to go home afterwards, but she refused.
The judge, who interrupted, asked:
“Did you have sex with the victim?
“Yes my lord” Razak stated.
“Did you know she was 13 years?” the judge quizzed.
The driver said “she told me she was 16.”
This compelled the court to enter a plea of not guilty for Razak based on his explanation and remanded him into custody to reappear on January 30, 2017.
Meanwhile, the prosecutor, DSP Sophia Ennim told the court that the prosecution has not been able to procure the birth certificate of the victim and as a result they were conducting an age assessment.
The prosecution said Mohammed Salisu is a teacher residing at Redco in Madina and an uncle to the victim.
The victim lives with her grandmother at Madina Post Office while the accused lives at the Madina Lorry Station.
The victim sells sachet water at the Zongo Junction Lorry Park and that in December 2016 at 6 am, the victim was called by an accomplice of Razak, now at large, under the pretext of buying some of the water when she was selling water at the station.
The victim was dragged into the kiosk by the accomplice.
Razak allegedly held her legs and carried her into the kiosk and covered her month to prevent her from shouting.
The accused and four other accomplices had sex with the victim.
After the act, they kept her in the kiosk until about 4:30pm on January 7, this year.
The victim was spotted lying haplessly in the kiosk by a witness in the case, who rescued and transported her to the police station together with the accused.
By Jeffrey De-Graft Johnson