Bantama gang rapists cry in court

The Kumasi Circuit Court One has adjourned the case involving five boys who allegedly gang-raped a teenager in Bantama to Wednesday, 7 February 2018.

The adjournment was announced after the prosecutor presented some facts to the court presided by Comfort Tasiame, to prove that some of the suspects are not juveniles and also pleaded for more time to conduct further investigations.

The court will make a determination on the suspects' age at the next hearing.

The suspects burst into tears after the court announced the adjournment and remanded them.

The Asokwa Juvenile Court on Wednesday, 17 January 2018 struck out the case since it lacked jurisdiction after the prosecutor told the court that one of the suspects was above 17 years and would want to try the case in an open court.

The suspects were discharged and re-arrested by police.

The suspects were subsequently arraigned on Thursday, 18 January 2018 but the case was adjourned after the prosecutor pleaded to the court for more time to conduct further investigations since Bantama St. Anthony R/C Primary did not produce the age records of one of the suspects after a court order.

The Asokwa Juvenile court had earlier ordered three of the suspects’ schools, namely Weweso Primary School, Obuasi Amamom Primary School and Bantama St. Anthony R/C Primary School to produce the age records of the suspects after the parents of the accused persons failed to produce their birth records.

Two of the schools, Weweso Primary School and Obuasi Amamom Primary School have complied and produced the age records. The Obuasi Amamom Primary records show that the suspect from that school is above 18 years while the Weweso Primary records also show that the suspect from that school is under 17. But Bantama St. Anthony R/C Primary has since not produced the age records of one of the students from that school.

All the suspects were in court with their parents and lawyers on Wednesday.

The lawyer for the suspects, John Boamah, in an interaction with Adehye FM's Elisha Adarkwah, said the prosecutor has come out with some facts which presuppose that some of his clients are not juveniles.