Court remands farmer for attempting to defile girl, 3

Akim Oda (E/R), Feb. 25, GNA - The Akim Oda Magistrate Court in the Birim Central Municipality on Thursday remanded in prison custody, Kwadwo Darkwah, a farmer, for attempting to defile a three-year-old girl. Darkwah, 24, pleaded not guilty to indecent assault and would appear i= n court again on March 21, 2011.

Prosecuting, Police Inspector Kwaku Appiah told the court presided ove= r by Mr Albert Owusu Annor that the victim in the case lived with her mother, the complainant, while the accused lived in another house near the victim. Inspector Appiah stated that on January 19, this year, the girl's mother left for farm, while she played with her peer group. At about 1300 hours, a witness in the case returned from town and hear= d the victim screaming in Darkwah's room.

According to the prosecutor when the witness shouted the girl's name= , "it was Darkwah who came out half-naked with the penis erected," and wh= en the witness reached out for the girl, she complained that 93Darkwah was pushing his penis into her virgina." Inspector Appiah said a report was made to the police and Darkwah was arrested but he denied having had sex with the girl. He told the police that he got drunk and needed some food, so he sent the elder sister of the victim to buy groundnuts for him, while he kept the victim waiting in his room. The prosecutor stated that the victim was sent to the Oda Government Hospital for medical examination and the report indicated that there was nothing wrong with her virginity.