Sawmill machine Operator to serve 10 years in jail for defiling minor

Correspondence from Central Region

A 55-year-old John Ato Whyte, a Sawmill machine operator has been sentenced to ten years imprisonment in hard labour for defiling a 15-year-old girl by a Cape Coast Circuit Court.

The Court presided over by Her Ladyship Veronique Praba Tetteh convicted Ato Whyte on his own plea of guilty simplisiter to the offence levied against him.

The court, however, went on full trial and found the convict guilty of the offence.

Prosecuting, Chief Inspector John Asare Bediako told the court that the complainant Margaret Akula a mother to survivor is a seamstress and lives at Ebubonkor Amissano, a suburb of Cape Coast Metropolis.

The Prosecutor said both survivor and the convict lived in the same vicinity with the complainant.

He said Ato Whyte knows the parents of the survivor and due to this he used to engage the survivor on some household chores for him.

During the month of February, Ato Whyte took undue advantage of the survivor in one of the days, sent her to his room and managed to have sexual intercourse with her and warned her never to inform anybody.

After the first act, Ato Whyte had series of unprotected sexual intercourse with the survivor

About two weeks ago, one Jackline, a teacher in the survivor's school detected a sign of pregnancy in the survivor and informed the complainant.

The complainant questioned the survivor to that effect and she revealed her ordeal to the complainant as stated above.

Madam Magaret reported the case to DOVVSU-Cape Coast against Ato Whyte. Where Police Medical Report Form was issued to the complainant to send the survivor to any Government Hospital for counseling, examination, treatment and report which she did.

It also came to light that the survivor is currently carrying 5 months old pregnancy as a result of the sexual assault.

The accused was arrested, cautioned and after investigations, charged with the offence

before this honourable court.