Pardon me, it was only one round … rapist pleads

Long before he was taken to court, a man who is facing a charge of rape, among other offences, pleaded with the police during preliminary investigations that he had only one round of sex with the victim and therefore, deserved pardon.

The accused, a farmer of Kulfuo near Tumu in the Sissala East District of the Upper West Region, is alleged to have raped a 27-year-old woman at gunpoint.

The man, Ali Mumuni, 27, has been charged with possessing a locally manufactured pistol without lawful authority, threat of death and rape.

He pleaded not guilty before a Wa District Court presided over by Mr John Ayivor and was remanded in prison custody to allow thorough investigations to be conducted into the case by the police.

He will appear before the court on May 15, 2010.

Police Inspector Stephen Frimpong told the court that the 27-year-old complainant hails from Tafiase near Tumu, the capital of the Sissala East District, while the accused, a farmer is a native of Kulfuo also near Tumu.

On March 27, the complainant was on her way to Chanchang, a nearby community to grind corn.

Inspector Frimpong said about a distance of half a kilometre away, the accused, Mumuni, suddenly emerged from the bush and stopped the complainant.

The accused, after stopping the complainant, asked her to allow him have sex with her but the complainant refused and resisted.

Mumuni pushed off the corn from the complainant's head with the hope of having his way but the complainant took to her heels.

Inspector Frimpong told the court that the accused pulled out a locally manufactured pistol and threatened to shoot the complainant if she did not stop.

He said the threat brought the complainant to her knees and the accused then dragged her about 50 metres away from the main road and ordered her to lie down.

Inspector Frimpong said when the complainant obeyed the orders of the accused and laid down, the accused then gagged her and forcibly had sex with her. The prosecutor said the complainant had her underwear destroyed by the accused in his forceful desperation to have sex with her.

According to Mr. Frimpong, after the accused had satisfied himself, he fled from the scene leaving the victim to her fate. He said the victim reported the case to the police and the accused was subsequently arrested on March 31.

Mr Frimpong said the accused in the company of the complainant, led the police to the scene of crime where he admitted the offence and pleaded with the police to forgive him since he had only one round sex with the victim.