Fisherman, 29, remanded for raping 84-year old woman

Takoradi, June 9, GNA 97 A Takoradi Circuit court, on Wednesday, remanded a 29-year old fisherman, Shaibu Dauda in custody, for allegedly raping an 84-year old woman at Apo, a suburb of Shama. Giving the facts of the case, Inspector Benard Annor told the court, presided over by Mr Kwasi Boakye that, the complainant is the granddaughter of the victim whilst the accused is an ex-convict, residing in the same neighbourhood at Apo. The prosecutor said the accused used to pass in front of the victim's house to a nearby bush to defecate every morning and even sometimes ask the old woman to give him water to drink when he is thirsty.

On February 27, this year, the accused, on his normal morning rounds realized that, the old woman was alone in the house and thus took advantage of her loneliness and dragged her inside a room and forcibly had sex with her. The victim fell unconscious after the act and sustained bruises on the neck and her genitals, leading to severe bleeding, but was rushed to the Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital for treatment.

The prosecutor said the victim told the granddaughter about the rape after gaining consciousness at the hospital but the accused absconded from the town. He was arrested when he re-surfaced and charged with the offence and arraigned before the court for prosecution. The accused, however, denied the offence in his caution statement. The court had adjourned the case to June 14, 2011 for hearing.