Blind man, 42, Held Over Defilement

A 42-year-old partially blind man, Alou Basigegyam, last weekend appeared before the Bolgatanga Circuit Court for allegedly defiling two teenagers, aged 11 and 12, in turns on two occasions.

The suspect, who pleaded not guilty to the charge, is alleged to have lured the two primary school pupils to the Navrongo Central market, where he allegedly brought them a quantity of akpeteshie and roasted meat, before sexually assaulting them in turns.

The court, presided over by Mr Imoro Ziblim, remanded Basigegyam in custody to reappear on February 14, 2003. According to the prosecution, despite the suspect’s visually impairment, be operates a truck himself at Navrongo and is capable of drawling water from deep wells to sell.

Before the court remanded the accused in custody, his counsel, Mr Ben Kaba, had prayed the court to grant him bail with the explanation that he was “totally blind”. However, the prosecution argued that Basigegyam had no serious problem with his eyes because he goes about his normal duties.

The presiding judge, Mr Ziblim, consequently remanded the accused for one week. Presenting the facts of the case, Chief Inspector F.B.D. Dodu indicated that both victims stay in the same house at Navrongo in the Kassena-Nankana District of the Upper East Region. He told the court that on December 21, the mother of one of the victims who is a complainant in the case detected a curt in the private parts of the girl. Chief Inspector Dodu said the victim’s mother took her to a nearby drug store for first aid but the attendant advised her to take the girl to the hospital for treatment.

He said when they returned home, the woman asked her daughter what brought about the cut. According to the prosecution, the victim then revealed that the accused on two occasions lured her and the other girl to the market in the late evening bought them roasted meat and a quantity of akpeteshie and when they became tipsy, he sexually assaulted them in turns.