Teacher convicted for molesting a minor

An Accra Circuit Court on Monday sentenced Sophia Osei a 24-year-old pupil teacher for continually hailing insults on a 23-month-old child any time the baby attended school, to a pay a fine of GHc2,400.00.

The teacher will in default go to jail for 12 months.

Charged with emotional, verbal, and child abuse, Sophia pleaded guilty before the court presided over by Mrs. Abena Oppong Adjin Doku who convicted her on own plea.

Sophia was sentenced to a fine of GHc1,200.00 or in default serve a six-month jail term on the charge of emotional and verbal abuse; On the charge of child abuse, the convict was also to pay GHc2,400.00 or in default go to jail for 12 months. Sentences were, however, to run concurrently.

Handing the sentence, the court took into consideration age of the victim in that he was unable to differentiate right from wrong.

According to the court the accused who is a teacher should have known better. The convict was spared custodial sentence because the court noted that she was young.

Sophia’s deeds were exposed after the victim’s mother placed a recorder in her child’s bag to ascertain the cause of the baby lamenting any time he was sent to school.

Prosecuting Inspector Judith B. Asante told the court that the complainant is a seamstress and the victim’s mother. The victim attends school (name withheld) at Adjiriganor, Accra.

Prosecution said on April 5, last year the complainant enrolled his son in the school but anytime she sent the victim to school, he cried so much and refused to stay in the school.

According to the Prosecution, the complainant decided to find out why the victim cried always and placed a recorder in the victim’s school bag.

When the complainant picked up her son later after school and played the recorder it revealed that Sophia insulted the victim’s parents.

The Prosecution said the school authorities were informed and later a report was, made to the Police.