Drama in Court as jailed prostitutes wail for leniency

Sitting at the Osu Community Tribunal ended abruptly on Wednesday when 18 prostitutes appearing before it broke down in tears after three month jail term each was imposed on them.

Eight men, who engaged the services of the prostitutes, were also jailed three months each. The tribunal declined to a fine sentence of 200,000 cedis each, which the court said was lenient and affordable and rather imposed a custodial sentence.

Passing sentence, the Tribunal Chairman Mr George Nana Donkor said it took a serious view of the increase of HIV/AIDS pandemic in the country, adding that the sentence was to serve as deterrent to others. The convicts, whose ages ranged between 14 and 36 years, pleaded guilty to soliciting for immoral acts.

The prostitutes, who had been remanded in prison custody for a week, looked dejected and stranded, pleaded with the court for leniency but when the jail sentence was slapped, their hopes were dashed and they broke down in tears.

Some screamed for leniency and one whimpered, "we will pay a fine." The police convinced the tribunal by displaying used and unused condoms retrieved from the prostitutes cubicles during the swoop as exhibits. The tribunal however, ordered that a 14 year-old juvenile among them be sent to the Juvenile Court for sentencing.

Meanwhile the tribunal has cautioned and discharged two people whom it found out to be couples but remanded five men into custody after they had pleaded not guilty to soliciting for immoral act to reappear on 25 September.

Prosecuting Chief Inspector Christopher Quaicoo told the tribunal that as part of activities to clamp down on prostitution in the Accra metropolis, the Nima Police organised a swoop at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle and 34 persons made of 14 men and 20 women were arrested at a spot known as "Gyaenkuntabo spot" or "Soldier spot."

During a search at the spot, used and unused condoms were found in five wooden cubicles while the male customers who had queued up waiting for their turn to engage in their activities were rounded up. The police said the owner of the spot was on the run but frantic efforts to arrest him were in motion.