A 30-year-old painter who admitted having sexual intercourse with his underage girlfriend at Spintex in Accra has been remanded in custody by an Accra Circuit Court.
Azanu Divine is said to have been in a relationship with the victim since last year against the approval of her mother, who on many occasions warned the suspect to stay away from the minor.
According to the police, on August 29, 2018, the victim left home and all efforts to locate her proved fruitless.
At about 01:00 am the next day, the mother, with the assistance of a police patrol, broke into the room of the accused person and found the victim on his bed.
Subsequently, Azanu Divine was arrested. And when he was questioned, it turned out that he had had sex with the minor on several occasions.
The accused person has been arraigned on a charge of defilement of a child less than 16 years of age to which he pleaded not guilty.
The court presided over by Abena Oppong Adjin-Doku asked him to re-appear on September 18, 2018.
Azanu Divine told the court that the victim’s mother knows that he is in a relationship with the daughter and the mother normally sends the victim to him.
The prosecution led by Chief Inspector Kofi Atimbire told the court that last year, the complainant, who is the victim’s mother, detected that Divine was having illicit affairs with the victim and he warned him to stop but he refused.
He said on August 29, 2018, at 7:00pm the victim left the house to an unknown place and all efforts to locate her proved futile.
He stated that subsequently Azan Divine was arrested when the victim was found on his bed. He was handed over to the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) for investigation.
He noted that a medical form was issued to the victim’s mother to take her to the hospital for examination and treatment.
Chief Inspector Atimbire added that the accused was cautioned in the presence of an independent witness and he admitted having sexual intercourse with the victim.
BY Gibril Abdul Razak