Fisherman jailed for illegal abortion

Cape Coast, Oct. 15, GNA - For inserting a substance into the private part of his 16-year-old pregnant girlfriend, resulting in an abortion, Nana Kwame a 25-year-old fisherman, was on Friday sentenced to four years imprisonment with hard labour by a circuit court in Cape Coast.

Nana Kwame, who wept like a baby when the four-year jail term was slapped on him, pleaded guilty and was convicted on his own plea. Passing sentence, Mr Mustapha said it was dangerous for Kwame to have inserted the substance into the girl's private part, since the chemical composition of the substance was not known and could cause a permanent damage to the victim and that the sentence was to serve as a deterrent.

Prosecuting, Police Chief Inspector Augustine Amonoo told the court that Kwame and the victim live at Kormantse, near Saltpond and have been lovers for the past three months.

He said along the line, the victim became pregnant and Kwame suggested that the pregnancy should be aborted, but the victim objected to it and that on October 2 this year, Kwame forcibly inserted a substance into the private part of the victim, whiles she was asleep. He said after the act the victim reported the matter to her parents and that the next day she began bleeding resulting in the abortion of the pregnancy.

The matter was therefore, reported to the police, the prosecutor said. 15 Oct. 05