The Bibiani Circuit Court, presided over His Lordship Caleb Abbaido, has sentenced a 30-year-old farmer to 12 years imprisonment with hard labour for defilement.
The suspect had unlawful carnal knowledge of the eight-year-old girl at Sehwi Kwame Tawiakrom near Sehwi Debiso in the Bia West District of the Western North Region.
He was prosecuted on his own guilty plea.
The prosecuting officer, Chief Inspector Agyeman Benjamin explained to the court that on January 16, 2023, at about 2:00 pm, the convict, Kwadwo Asare left home for some work on his farm which is very close to the victim’s residence.
Upon getting to the victim’s residence, he called the eight-year-old girl to accompany him to his farm and collect something for her mother. When both got to a nearby cocoa farm, Mr Asare forcefully grabbed the victim, removed her pant and had sexual intercourse with her on the ground.
He threatened to kill the bleeding victim should she reveal the ordeal to her parents, which she complied.
However, the victim could not walk properly for days which attracted the attention of her father, Kwabena Asiamah, to check what was happening to her daughter. In the process, the victim’s father found some unusual fluid in the pant and vagina of his daughter.
It was during interrogations the victim disclosed that suspect Mr Asare forcibly had sexual intercourse with her in a cocoa farm.
The incident was reported to the police at Adjofua subsequently, the suspect was arrested.
A police medical report form was issued for the victim to undergo a medical examination which indicated that there was hymen laceration.