Farmer sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for defilement

Mpraeso, Aug 19, GNA - A Circuit court at Mpraeso has sentenced a 38-year-old farmer to 20 years' imprisonment with hard labour for defiling three school children at Nkawkaw Kuma, a suburb of Nkawkaw. The farmer, Kofi Samuel, pleaded not guilty to all the three counts of defiling two primary school girls and a JSS pupil aged between 10 and 12.

Prosecuting, Police Inspector Alexander Gyamera Acheampong, told the court that on the January 7, 2001 the two primary four girls and the JSS pupil met the accused who was bringing some palm wine to the town and he asked them to accompany him to his house for their Christmas gift.

He said the girls followed Samuel to his room and then locked the door put the keys into his pocket and sexually assaulted the schoolgirls one after the other.

Inspector Acheampong said Samuel increased the volume of his cassette radio to prevent the screaming of the girls from being heard by outsiders during the act.

He said after satisfying himself the accused gave the three school children 1,000 cedis and took them to a river to swear an oath not to inform anyone about their ordeal.

The prosecutor said three days later the mother of one of the victims got wind of it and confronted her daughter who confirmed it and also informed the parents of the other victims and a report was made to the police.