THE Kyebi Circuit Court in the Abuakwa South Municipality of the Eastern Region, presided by Peter Oppong-Boahen has sentenced a 28-year-old taxi driver, Isaac Kwame Asante to 12 years imprisonment with hard labour for defiling a 15-year old girl.
The accused person pleaded guilty with an explanation, saying the victim was his fiancée and that the sex was consensual.
His plea was however, denied and was convicted.
According to the prosecution, the complainant is a 60-year old man, who resides at Akyem-Asiakwa.
According to the prosecution, the complainant is an uncle of the victim and the taxi driver residing at Asikam near Kyebi on 29th October 2020 sent the victim with the mother to buy some foodstuff at Asiakwa Day market.
The accused person saw the victim and called her to come to him.
The victim obliged and honored his call by going close to the accused person.
After an exchange of a cordial pleasant greetings, the accused person ended it all by proposing love to the victim, but she declined by saying she is a student and as such has no interest in a love relationship and then walked away.
The complainant narrated that on 31st of the same month, the victim was again sent by the mother to buy items at Bunso Taxi station when the accused person spotted her, then called her again and asked her to accompany him to buy something from a nearby shop.
The convict took the victim in his taxi cab and drove her to Akyem-Asiakwa where he went and booked a room at Hill Top Guesthouse and was given room number four.
The accused person then ordered the victim to remove her panties which she refused, but the accused forcibly pulled down the victim’s panties and pushed her down on the bed, covered her mouth with his hands, and defiled her.
The accused person then warned her not to disclose the act to anyone or else he will run away.
He further assured the victim that he has taken some vaccines and due to that his sperms are weak and cannot make her pregnant.
A month later, the victim called the accused person on phone and informed him that she is pregnant but the accused person told her that he was not the one responsible.
Due to that the victim on 10th March, 2021 officially informed her mother of the pregnancy and mentioned the accused person, Isaac Kwame Asante as the man responsible.
The mother then informed the complainantt who stormed the Police station to report the matter and she was issued with Police medical report form to attend the hospital for medical examination.
The Police medical report form which was issued to her duly endorsed by Dr. Dennis Kwaku Arhin of Kibi Government Hospital later confirmed that the victim was 20 weeks, four days pregnant.
The Police, however, monitored the movement of the suspect and grabbed him at Bunso Junction where he was loading his taxi to assist with the investigation.
In his cautioned statement, he admitted the offense and was accordingly charged with the offence as stated in the charged sheet and was put before the court.
FROM Daniel Bampoe, Kyebi