Two charged with rape over British girls' Ghana attack

Two men have been charged with a series of offences including rape after a group of British schoolgirls was attacked at gunpoint in Ghana.

A number of armed men entered accommodation where the pupils and their teachers were staying during a school trip to the west African country in December.

Police said a Ghanaian security guard was shot and the female victims were "subjected to serious sexual assaults".

Some of their possessions were stolen.

Police in the UK said Ishmael Akyene, 34, a Ghanaian national, had been charged by Ghanaian police with 14 counts of robbery, one count of rape, one count of conspiracy to rape, one count of possession of a firearm, one count of possession of an instrument intended for unlawful entry and one count of money laundering.

A second man, Daniel Akpan, 29, a Nigerian national, has been charged with 14 counts of robbery, two counts of rape, one count of conspiracy to rape, one count of possession of a firearm, one count of possession of an instrument intended for unlawful entry and one count of money laundering.

Both men have been remanded in custody.

A search is continuing to find a third suspect.

Police say the victims are continuing to be supported by specially-trained police officers, their school and other agencies.