German Paedophile Caged

A 79-YEAR-old German tourist who was arrested by the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) for allegedly defiling a 14-year-old pupil has been remanded after being charged with offences related to defilement.

The accused person, Gerard Kusterer, was charged with an accomplice named Emelia Nortey, a receptionist, who allegedly allowed a child less than 16 years to be on the premises of Mascot Hotel to be defiled.

Emelia was however discharged on a charge of householder permitting defilement of child on his/her premises, after the court presided over by Sedina Agbemava had advised so.

Gerard Kusterer was charged with three counts of abduction of unmarried female under 18, defilement and obscenity.

He pleaded not guilty to the first two charges but admitted to committing the third charge of obscenity, meaning he took nude pictures of his victim with his camera and stored them on it. The trial judge deferred sentencing to July 3.

The prosecutor, ASP Sarah Acquah, narrating the facts, stated that the complainant was a security officer and a brother to the victim who lived with their parents at Amarhia, Accra.

According to the prosecutor, Gerlard Kusterer was a 79-year-old German national while Emelia Nortey was a receptionist at Mascot Hotel where Gerard was lodging.

She narrated that on May 25, 2012, at about 2:00pm, the victim visited the complainant at Korle-Gonno and both went to La Beach.

On reaching there, the victim told the complainant that she was hungry so the complainant left the victim under a summer hat and went to buy some food for her.

The prosecutor said while the victim was waiting for her brother, another man whose name was yet to be ascertained joined her and reportedly engaged her in a conversation.

Gerard also allegedly joined them and bought a bottle of Guinness for the victim while he bought a Star larger beer and they both drank. Later, the said man allegedly sent the victim to town and shopped for her to entice her.

Gerlard and the said man, according to the prosecutor, lured the victim to Mascot Hotel where Emelia worked as a receptionist and she allowed them in. The accused, the victim and the said man entered the room.

However, the man left the two in the room and the accused person, for days, allegedly continued to have sexual intercourse with the victim in the room.

On June 13, 2012, at about 5:35pm, after Gerlard had had sexual intercourse with the victim, he allegedly used his Fuji digital camera to take nude pictures of the victim and stored them on the camera.

The prosecutor added that on June 15, 2012, the victim fell sick and managed to run away from the hotel room.

When she got home, she narrated her ordeal to her brother who reported the matter to DOVVSU where the complainant was issued with a police medical report form to send the victim to hospital for examination and report.

The prosecutor further stated when the police, in the company of the complainant and victim, went to Mascot Hotel to arrest the accused, Esther, then at the reception, obstructed the police from performing their lawful. She deceived them that Gerard had gone out of the hotel.

However, Gerard was arrested in the hotel room after police persisted.

In his caution statement, he allegedly denied having sexual intercourse with the victim but admitted to taking nude pictures of the victim and other young girls which he stored on his camera.