The Juaso Circuit Court, presided over by Mr. Fredrick Tetteh, has sentenced a teacher standing trial for defiling a school girl to 13 years imprisonment.

Shaibu Iddi, a 27 year-old university graduate, before the ruling, had pleaded with the judge to “tamper justice with mercy” in order not to jeopardise his future and promised not to repeat the crime.

Mr. Tetteh was however unmoved and said the expectation was that as a teacher he would be a good example not only to the children he was teaching, but other people in the community.

Chief Inspector Dennis Nana Duku told the court that Iddi lived in the same vicinity with the 10-year victim and her parents at Juaso.

Sometime in September this year, he lured the little girl and her friend into his room and defiled her after asking the friend to buy him banana.

He then warned her never to tell anything about her dreadful experience to anybody – not even her mother.

She did as she was told and kept the secret to herself until October 1, when she fell ill and was forced to recount her story to the mother.

A formal report was made to the police and Iddi, who had gone into hiding was tracked down and arrested on Friday, November 20.