When a 21-year-old student served a customer with a bottle of Fanta at a drinking bar at Ward 'K' in Tamale, little did she know that she was seconds away from being raped by the customer.

The perpetrator, a 22-year-old butcher, who claimed the act was the work of the devil, however, was arrested, arraigned before court and subsequently jailed 12 years with hard labour by the Tamale High Court, presided over by Mr Justice Simon Suubareh.

The convict, Manan Mumuni, pleaded not guilty to the rape charge but at the end of the trial, a seven-member jury returned a verdict of guilty by a 5-2 majority decision.

Prosecuting, a State Attorney, Mr Salia Abdul-Quddus, told the court that the convict sells meat to the victim's mother which she uses to prepare light soup for her customers at the bar.

According to him, on January 19, 2007, the victim was selling at the bar when the convict, who lives at Ward ‘K’, arrived and ordered for a bottle of Fanta.

Mr Abdul-Quddus said the victim served Mumuni and retired to an inner room attached to the bar to relax because she wasn’t feeling well.

The prosecution further said all of a sudden and without any provocation, Mumuni went into the inner room where the girl was relaxing, attacked her by pinning her to the ground, covered her mouth with his left hand, tore her skirt and pant with his right hand, and raped her.

According to Mr Abdul-Quddus, after the act, he left the girl to her fate and fled the scene.

The State Attorney said when the victim's mother returned, she reported the incident to her and when Mumuni was confronted, he admitted the offence but said it was the work of the devil.

The matter was reported to the police who arraigned the convict before the court after investigations.