Court grants farmer 10 million cedis bail

Mankranso (Ash), March 22, GNA - The Mankranso magistrate court on Monday granted Yaw Poku, the 21-year-old farmer who allegedly eloped with a girl whose age is under dispute at Banko village near Mpasaso in the Ahafo-Ano South district, 10 million cedis bail. He has pleaded not guilty to the charge and will re-appear on April 4.

The court, in the meantime has ordered the parents of Rashidatu Issifu, the girl at the centre of the case to send her to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) to determine her real age. While the uncle of the girl with whom she lives claims that she is 16 years old, Poku claims that the girl is 19 years old. Police Inspector Abraham Agyei-Mensah told the court, presided over by Mr Frank Owusu-Afriyie that in early November last year, the accused cajoled Rashidatu into going with him to his cottage without the consent of her uncle and camped her there for sometime until the police arrested him while the girl was in his room on March 12, this year. The girl is said to be three-month pregnant and Poku has accepted responsibility.