Wa Defilement Trial: Accused person concludes defence

Ahmed Rashid, alias Anaata, the 35-year-old man standing trial at a Wa circuit court for alleged serial defilement, has concluded his defence in the last three dockets that have been built in the case.

The prosecution is expected to file written addresses on the three dockets on 17th October 2023, pending a date to be set for the final determination by the court.

One of the dockets involved one victim, aged about 13 years, who said the accused person had sex with her several times but chose to testify in three counts, two in 2022 and one in May 2023.

Another docket involved one victim and the third docket involved three victims, one of whom the accused person said was his cousin.

All the victims in those dockets were aged between 12 to 14 years.

Throughout the cross-examination in the three dockets, the accused person denied having canal knowledge of the minors mentioned in those dockets.

Ahmed Rashid argued that aside from his cousin, he did not know the other victims accusing him of having sexual intercourse with them.

When questioned whether the victims had been to his house before, Rashid answered in the negative.

However, Saeed Abdul Shakur, a Principal State Attorney in the Upper West Region, told the court, presided over by Judge Jonathan Avogo, that the victims showed the police, which side of the room the accused person had sex with them when they were taken to Rashid’s room after his arrest.

Shakur, who is the lead prosecutor in the case, said the accused person perpetuated the act when his wife left her matrimonial home to live with her sister, but the accused person denied that.

The lead prosecutor said Anaata’s wife, in a statement to the police, said she had problems with her husband because of his relationship with girls but Anaata again denied it.

When he was questioned whether he had his sister’s (one of the victim’s mother’s) phone contact number off-head, the accused person answered in the negative and said he had no business with the sister to keep her number off-head.

The prosecutor, therefore, put it to the accused person that he had business with the girls, the reason they kept his phone contact number off-head, and that the business was “sex for food” and “sex for GH₵10.00,” but the accused person again denied.

Shakur said though Rashid vehemently denied the allegations, he believed the state had a strong case against him ( accused person) and had proven that through the cross-examination.

Rashid, who still had no lawyer, moved a bail application, but the prosecutor vehemently opposed it on the condition that the accused person would evade trial.

Avogo, the Presiding Judge, ruling on the bail application, said the previous conduct of the accused person of absconding when the alarm was raised for his arrest was enough evidence that he will evade justice if released on bail.

Meanwhile, the court had set 17th October 2023 to give judgment in one of the four dockets.