Security man, 32, defiles girl, 4

When a 4-year-old nursery two pupil left her parents and home for school in the company of her two elder siblings, little did she know that a ?worthless? watchman of the school would be having carnal knowledge of her. Today, the little and innocent looking girl has lost control of her bladder and can not tell when she wants to urinate or not.

The 32-year-old watchman, James Tetteh, of St. Charles Preparatory and Junior Secondary School located at Dansoman-Banana Inn, a suburb of Accra, was consequently arrested and arraigned before an Accra circuit court on 19th June 2004, for allegedly defiling the 4-year-old pupil (name withheld) of the school.

The court, presided over by his honour, Mr. Edusei, did not take the plea of the accused person and remanded him in prison custody to re-appear on Friday July 2, 2004, The Chronicle has learnt.

According to the victim?s mother, on the 16th June 2004, she (the mother) detected some bloodstains in the private part of the victim when she was bathing her child (the victim) to prepare her for school. She observed also that, the vagina of the child was exceptionally swollen.

According to the mother, when she questioned the victim, she mentioned Mr. James Tetteh, a security man of the school as having inserted his fingers into her private part and lain on her.

?Immediately I heard this, I became agitated and confused and confronted the school authorities as well as the said security man or watchman. but he denied the act,? she said.

The victim was rushed to hospital where a medical examination proved that she had been defiled. Consequently, a report was made to the Dansoman Police and the accused person was apprehended and taken to the Women and Juvenile Unit (WAJU) of the Police Service.

?My daughter has since lost control of her urinary bladder and track and can not even detect when she wants to urinate,? she said, adding that she was now dressed with pampers.

The victim told this reporter that the security man commited the act after school hours.

A source at the school indicated that indeed, the accused person had lured the victim to a tree near the school gate and inserted his fingers into the private part of the poor girl.

When The Chronicle contacted the WAJU offices, the Greater Accra Regional Commander of WAJU, Mrs. Sophia Amofa Torpey confirmed the story and said the sight that greeted her when she first saw the little girl was very pathetic.

James Tetteh was charged with indecent assault on the child. Mrs. Topey urged Ghanaians, especially parents not to hesitate to report suspected crimes against their children to the Police and other law enforcement agencies.

The parents, who at the time of the crime had had all their three children attending the same school, have since withdrawn them because of the apathy they alleged the proprietor of the school had shown in handling the case.

Sources close to the school indicated that, the action of the proprietor stemmed from the fact that, if the school was to come to public light through such an unfortunate act, it would lose most of its valued and cherished patrons.