Mental patient rapes student

A psychiatric patient who pounced on a university student and raped her at an area near the Legon Botanical Gardens has been hauled before an Accra Circuit Court.

The Victim fell prey to this alleged lunatic, who normally hangs around that area in search of victims, while on her way home from lectures. John Asare, the 35 year old accused person, was arrested by the police at the same vicinity when he was waiting for his next victim to devour.

He however pleaded not guilty to the offence of rape but was remanded into the police custody by the court presided over by Patience Mills Tetteh to reappear on September 23, 2010.Narrating the incident to the court, ASP Margaret Ayidaana Awuni stated that on August 28, at about 12:30pm, the victim decided to use the road through the Legon Botanical Gardens to get to her house.

On the way, Asare allegedly stopped her and offered to show her a short route out of the garden.The victim followed him but when they arrived at an isolated area, Asare threatened to kill her if she prevented him from having sexual intercourse with her. Because the victim was defenceless, the accursed succeeded in raping her, after which he abandoned her in the bush.

According to her prosecutor, the victim later found her way home and immediately reported the incident to her parents, who subsequently accompanied her to lodge a complaint with the police the same day. ASP Awuni said at the police station, the victim was able to give a vivid description of the rapist.

Through surveillance, Asare was seen loitering at the botanical garden on August 30, 2010, at about 3:30pm. When he was confronted as to what he had come there to do, Asare however could not give any tangible explanation and based on the description given by the victim, he was taken to the Tesano Police station, where the victim identified him as the one who raped her. The prosecutor said when the police conducted a search in his room, a red jacket which was described by the victim was found. Further investigations revealed that the accused is a patient of the Accra psychiatric Hospital.