The Tarkwa circuit court has sentenced a shop attendant to 10 years imprisonment in hard labour for defiling a 13 year-old girl at Efuanta in the Tarkwa Nsuaem Municipality.

Eric Okyere, 24, now convict was found guilty on charge of defilement after trial by the court presided over by Mrs Hathia Ama Manu.

Prosecution led by Superintendent of Police Juliana Essel-Dadzie, said the complainant was a food vendor and an aunt to the victim, resided at Efuanta with Okyere.

She said during the early part of this year, the complainant was at her food joint working when she sent the victim to pick something from the house for her.

Superintendent Essel-Dadzie said while, on the way Okyere met the victim and engaged her in a conversation asked her if she had a boyfriend and victim told him she had none.

Prosecution said Okyere then started making sexual advances towards the victim and in August 2023, while the victim and the aunt were at the shop busily going about the day’s work, Okyere came around, and called the
victim without the aunt spotting him.

According to the prosecution, Okyere lured the victim to an uncompleted building nearby and forcibly had sexual intercourse with her.

The convict, who was not satisfied with the sexual advances took the victim to his house twice and had sex with her.

On November 7, this year, the complainant noticed the victim’s attitude had changed, suspected she was pregnant, questioned her, but she mentioned Okyere as the one who had been having sexual intercourse with her.

Superintendent Essel-Dadzie said on November 30, complainant took the victim to the Western Central Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service where a medical report form was issued to the complainant on behalf of the victim to seek medical care for her.

The prosecutor said after examination, the complainant returned the medical report endorsed by a medical officer at the Apinto Government hospital and Okyere was picked.
Source: Ghana News Agency