72-year-old man who defiled his 13-year-old grand-daughter at Sekesua to spend 7 years in prison

Correspondence from Eastern Region

The Odumase-Krobo Circuit Court in the Eastern Region on Tuesday, January 31, 2023, convicted and sentenced 72-year-old Eric Danso, alias Aboloway to seven years imprisonment with hard labor, for defiling his 13-year-old granddaughter.

The court presided over by Kwasi Apiati Abadu (Esq) heard that the suspect committed the crime on the 8th of December, 2022 when he took advantage of the absence of the victim’s grandmother whom she lived with by luring her into his room and defiling her.

The court handed down the sentence after the convict pleaded guilty to defilement contrary to section 101 of Act 29/60 as amended by section 11 of Act 544/98.

Detective Chief Inspector Daniel Apedo, prosecuting, told the court that, the complainant, Regina Amoako, mother of the victim lived at a different location within the Sekesua community in the Upper Manya Krobo District of the Eastern Region while the convict lived in the same community but in a different house with the victim and her grandmother.

According to him, the convict had been making sexual advances towards the victim, a class six pupil of the Presby Primary School at Sekesua for some time now.

He furthered that on the 8th of December, 2022 at about 13:30 hours, the victim was alone in the house with the convict who took advantage of the situation by requesting that she helped him find his remote control in his room.

The victim obliged the request and while searching for the remote, Danso allegedly pushed her onto a wooden structure in the room, forcibly undressed her and had sexual intercourse with her.

The prosecution furthered that though the victim shouted for help, nobody came to her rescue.

Detective Chief/Insp Daniel Apedo added that the victim afterward narrated her ordeal at the hands of her grandfather to her biological mother, Regina Amoako and an official report was made at the Asesewa District Police Station.

A police medical report form was issued to the complainant in respect of the victim, whom accompanied by police, sent the latter to the Asesewa Government Hospital for assessment.

The medical officer subsequently confirmed the incident in the endorsed medical report form.

Based on this, the septuagenarian was arrested where he, during interrogation admitted the offence before an independent witness and pleaded for forgiveness.

After investigations, the accused was charged with the offence and dragged to court.

The convict was widely known for playing various roles in the erstwhile Akan drama series on TV.