Farmer Jailed for defiling 14 year-old girl

Bawku (U/E), July 26, GNA - The Bawku Circuit Court on Friday sentenced a 32 year-old farmer to 10 years imprisonment with hard labour, for defiling a 14 year-old girl.

Yakubu Akolugo pleaded guilty to charges of death threat and defilement.

The court, presided over by Mr Nathaniel K.E Osam, sentenced him on his own plea.

He was sentenced to 3 years on the first charge and 10 years for the second. Both sentences are to run concurrently.

Prosecuting, Police Inspector Andrews Darko told the court that on July 17, this year, the accused residing at Bazua near Bawku, attended a funeral of the victim's relative at Soogo, near Zebilla.

He said at about 0300 hours the next day, the accused called the girl ostensibly to show her something behind the funeral house, which she innocently obliged.

In the dark, the accused pulled a kitchen knife and threatened, "If you shout I'll kill you", and seized the girl's cover cloth. Sensing danger, the girl allowed the convict to have sex with her twice, along a dark path.

Akolugo, realizing that the girl was too weak, carried her on his shoulders to a nearby school, where he had a third round before abandoning her.

The victim later recovered and went back to the funeral house, where she narrated her ordeal to her senior sister.

When the accused realized that the girl was narrating her ordeal to the sister, he pounced on the victim's sister, seized her flashlight and bolted, but he was hotly chased and arrested by the mourners. He admitted the offence in his cautioned statement to the Police, where a medical form was also issued to the victim for a check up.