Court orders that girl's age be determined by KATH

Mankranso (Ash), March 21, GNA - A magistrate's court at Mankranso has ordered the police to send a girl who is the subject of an abduction case before it to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi to determine her actual age.

According to the court, this would enable it to determine the proper punishment for the accused in the case. The controversy over the Rashidatu Issifu's age arose when she claimed that she was 19 years, while Baba Moro, her uncle also claimed that she was 16.

Yaw Opoku, who has pleaded guilty to the charge of abducting the girl, has been remanded to re-appear on March 21.

Police Chief Inspector Abraham Agyei-Mensah told the court presided over by Mr Frank Owusu-Afriyie that in early November last year, the accused cajoled Rashidatu into going to stay with him in his cottage without the knowledge of her uncle, Baba Moro with whom she was living. He said following her departure, Moro, the complainant, searched for his niece without success until on March 12 this year when he had a tip-off that she was staying with the accused.

Chief Inspector Agyei-Mensah said he reported the case to the police at Mpasaso who arrested the accused while the girl was in his room.

The prosecution said the accused admitted that the girl was staying with him but said she was his girlfriend and that she was three-months pregnant.