‘I’m guilty’ - Teacher begs court after defiling boy, 12

The Circuit Court in Accra is expected to determine the fate of a 30-year-old teacher, Kwabena Anim Seth, who has pleaded guilty to defiling a 12-year-old Junior High School Form One pupil at New Achimota.

Seth was on Wednesday, June 17, 2020 arraigned and was charged with the offence of defiling a child under 16 years of age contrary to section 101(2) of the Criminal Offences Act 1960, (Act29).

His sentence was, however, deferred to June 18, by the court presided over by Her Honour Mrs Christiana Cann while he was remanded into police custody to reappear tomorrow.

Brief facts

The brief facts of the case as presented to the court by the prosecution led by DSP Agnes Boafo, were that the complainant, Bernice Ntow, is a receptionist at M Plaza Hotel at Roman Ridge and lives at New Achimota.

The Accused person Kwabena Anim Seth, according to the prosecutor is a teacher at private school (name withheld) at New Achimota and lives at Akweteman a suburb of Accra.

DSP Boafo told the court that, on June 6, 2020, around 6:50 pm, the complainant returned from town and found that her son who is a victim in the case (name withheld) aged 12 years and a Junior High School Form One student had not done his school online assignment.

She told the court that, the victim had also not had his bath which also got the mother angry.

The prosecutor said, the complainant became annoyed and collected the smartphone she bought for the victim because of the school assignment.

Sex cartoons

DSP Boafo added that the complainant decided to open the phone to see if it was because of WhatsApp chats but saw something like a cartoon with two people having sex.

She told the court that the complainant then asked the victim who Anim was and the victim told her he is a teacher. According to her, the complainant “became afraid and said to herself, a teacher having a relationship with my son?”

“The complainant,” she said, “continued to ask the victim what the teacher has been doing with him.”

“The victim disclosed to the mother that, the accused started to chat with him since March 2020 and he directed him to their house and helped him to do his school assignment and afterwards inserted his penis in his anus and that the accused has done that to him on three occasions,” the prosecutor told the court.

Plan for arrest

“On June 10, 2020, around 1.46,” DSP Boafo told the court that “the complainant saw that the accused was again chatting with the victim on the phone that he will come to him at home. The complainant advised the victim to ask the accused to come” for him to be arrested.

According to the prosecutor, the complainant informed witnesses in this case of the development and “asked them to be alert and arrest the accused if he comes to the house.

“The following day, June 11, 2020, around 11:30 am, the accused came to the house to have an affair with the victim.

“The moment accused entered the complainant’s living room, he removed his dress leaving a boxer short and in the event of removing the victim’s dress the victim coughed to signal the witnesses who were then hiding in the kitchen,” the prosecutor told the court.

“They rushed to the living room and arrested the accused. Accused knelt down and started pleading for forgiveness. The complainant was informed of the arrest and she called the police patrol team from the Regional Police Headquarters, Accra who proceeded to the complainant’s house and picked the accused to the Regional CID, Accra for further investigation.

“Upon interrogation, accused admitted the offence in his caution statement and stated that he has had unnatural carnal knowledge with the victim in the complainant’s living room on two occasions and not three times as victim said but he does not know what made him do that.

“In the cause of investigations, medical forms were issued to the complainant on behalf of the victim to attend hospital for treatment. After investigation, accused was charged with the offence to appear before the honourable court.”