Relatives of accused and complainant engage in a free for-all-fight

Accra, July 5, GNA - A free for-all-fight on Monday ensued at the Cocoa Affairs Court when an Accra Circuit Court acquitted and discharged a security officer charged with defilement. Alhaji Ibrahim Mansuru Marko, who had pleaded not guilty, was freed when the court in its ruling noted that prosecution could not establish a case against the accused.

The court's ruling did not go down well with relatives of the complainant who cast insinuations on the trial judge, Mrs Georgina Mensah-Datsa.

Without any provocation, relatives of the complainant charged on the accused when he was leaving the court premises, and his relatives also retaliated, during which they threw stones at each other. In the process a woman was injured and marched with anger to the court room to report to the presiding judge, but she was prevented by court officials.

It took the intervention of some police personnel to halt the situation, which would have turned bloody. The court discharging the accused believed to be in his early 40's, said there was ambiguity in the evidence of some of the prosecution witnesses.

It noted that while the victim told the court in her evidence that she had been defiled by the accused, during cross-examination, she said the accused inserted his finger into her vagina and fondled her breast. A prosecution witness who saw the victim coming from the accused's room in her evidence said the 12-year-old victim did not tell her (witness) that accused had defiled the victim.

However; the court noted that the medical report indicated that the victim's hymen had been ruptured. Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Sarah Acquah, prosecuting told the court that the victim lived with her auntie the complainant, Mamunatu Mohammed, a trader, at Nima. She said the accused, who is the complainant's landlord, used to send the victim on errands.

Sometime in January this year, the accused sent the victim to buy some cigarette for him and on her return, defiled her and warned her not to tell anyone. The prosecution said the victim however; fell sick and when examined it was detected that she had been defiled. The case was reported to the Police Nima and accused was arrested, while a medical form was issued for the victim to be treated. 5 July 10