Takoradi Circuit Court remands father for incest

A 37-year-old father, Jonathan Samuel Otto Hughes, was on Tuesday remanded into police custody by a Takoradi Circuit Court, for allegedly abusing his 17-year-old daughter sexually.

The accused was charged for incest and child abuse.

His plea was not taken and would reappear on September 4.

Prosecuting, Inspector Fuseini Yakubu, told the court presided over by Mr Charles Bamfo Nimako that the complainant, Emmanuel Opoku, a Journalist with the Daily Guide Newspaper in Takoradi while the accused is a businessman who resides at Adiembra, near Sekondi with his daughter.

Inspector Yakubu said the victim was the second child of the accused with his ex-wife.

After the divorce, Hughes took custody of the child at the age of five and gave her to his elder sister, Grace Hughes and left for Spain.

When Hughes returned from Spain last year, the daughter was 17 years old.

The accused inquired from the daughter whether she was a virgin, and she answered in the affirmative.

Inspector Yakubu said Hughes took advantage of her and forcibly had sexual intercourse with her on a number of occasions.

In spite of the pains she went through anytime the father had sex with her, the accused continued the act with an explanation that he was preparing her for future marriage.

The victim became fed-up with the sexual abuse and narrated her ordeal to one Yahaya, a neighbour and family friend.

Yahaya confronted the victim’s father about the accusation leveled against him, but he vehemently denied it.

Later, the victim left the father’s house and sought refuge at Yahaya’s home, but Hughes went to his house and threatened Yahaya with two eggs and a bottle of locally manufactured gin popularly called ‘Akpeteshie’, to release the daughter to him or else he would curse him.

Yahaya informed Mr Opoku who lodged a complaint with the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit of Ghana Police Service at Sekondi, and Hughes was subsequently arrested.

The accused denied sleeping with the daughter in his caution statement but was charged with the offence and arraigned.