Tabloid News of Saturday, 1 September 2001

Source: Nehemia Owusu Achiaw, Kumasi

Man, 35, defiles baby girl

A 35-YEAR-OLD sand winner, Charles Afoakwah, has been arrested for allegedly defiling his one-and-half-year old stepdaughter, at Abutuogya, in Bosomtwe-Kwanwoma District of Ashanti.

Narrating the incident to The Mirror, at the Women and Juvenile Unit (WAJU) of the Ghana Police Service in Kumasi, Abena Amoah, the mother of the victim said on Wednesday, August 8, Afoakwah drew her attention to the fact that the child had eased herself.

She said she then cleaned the child and prepared her for bathing.

According to Ms Amoah, Afoakwah, who was then bathing, requested her to give the child to him to bath her in the bathroom, but she refused.

She said since the child was ill she went out for some herbal preparation for her. She said on her return she realised that Afoakwah had taken the girl into the bath room ostensibly to bath her.

Ms Amoah said the child screamed when she was supposedly being bathed. She said she asked Afoakwah why the child was crying in such a manner but he retorted that she was crying because of the bathing.

She said when Afoakwah finally brought the child out she was bleeding profusely from her private part.

Ms Amoah said when she asked why the baby was bleeding, Afoakwah replied that it was due to the fact that he washed the child’s private part with a sponge which was wrapped around one of his fingers.

She said they first rushed the child to a hospital at Agogo, but she was referred to Jachie-Pramso.

Ms Amoah said in view of the seriousness of the case the Jachie-Pramso Hospital referred the child to Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) for treatment.

She said at KATH, the doctor detected that the child had been defiled and therefore requested security officers at the hospital to arrest Afoakwah who incidentally accompanied her to the hospital.

The police at WAJU confirmed the story and said Afoakwah would be arraigned before court soon.