Jesus One Touch appeals against conviction

Accra, June 10, GNA - Nana Kofi Yirenkyi, aka Jesus One Touch, Founder and General Overseer of the Blood of Jesus Prophetic Ministry, who is serving 10-year jail term for incest and defilement, has appealed against his conviction.

When the case came up on Friday at an Accra High Court, Mr Rexford Wiredu, a Principal State Attorney, prayed the court to grant him a short adjournment to enable him to file a statement of case.

Based on that the court presided over Mr Justice E.K. Dzakpasu adjourned the matter to June 15.

The appellant was represented by Mr K.N. Adomako Acheampong and Mr Matthew Obeng.

In a notice of Appeal before an Accra High Court, Yirenkyi is praying the court to quash the decision of the Circuit Court because his conviction and sentence were against the weight of evidence.

According to Yirenkyi, the trial judge, Mr Georgina Mensah Datsa, convicted and sentenced him without taking into consideration the evidence given by two prosecution witnesses 96 ACP (Assistant Commissioner of Police) Dr Samuel Amo-Mensah, an obstetrician and gynaecologist at the Police Hospital, and a Police officer stationed at Akropong.

According to the appellant the evidence of the two witnesses raised doubts in the case of the prosecution.

The appellant also contended that the trial judge failed to advert her mind on the 93sheer implausibility of the evidence, especially that of the victim and her mother".

On January 20 this year, a Circuit Court in Accra sentenced Yirenkyi to 10 years' imprisonment each on two counts of incest and defilement after it found him guilty. The sentences were to run concurrently.

The prosecution's case was that the victim, born out of wedlock, lived with her mother, Madam Asamaa, until 2005 when she left to live with the convict at McCarthy Hill in Accra to attend school.

It said between 2008 and 2009, Yirenkyi started defiling the victim each time he attended church service.

In November 2009, the accused asked the victim's mother to talk to her because she was misbehaving.

It was during the interaction with her mother that she revealed her ordeal indicating that Yirenkyi had sex with her on Tuesdays, Saturdays and Sundays and used a white handkerchief to wipe his sperm.

The victim was initially examined by a medical doctor and later transferred to the Police Hospital for further treatment.