The Sogakofe Circuit Court sentenced 25-year-old mechanic Richard Atim, who molested an 11-year-old girl, to seven years in a hard labour jail.
The girl is in primary five and is the neighbour of the person charged. As co-tenants, they so shared a home at Battor-Ayiboe, in the North Tongu District of the Volta Region.
Richard, a Togolese, appeared before the Sogakope Circuit Court, presided over by His Lordship, Isaac Addo, on charges of defilement in violation of section 101 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29).
When he was initially brought before the court on June 13th, he entered a plea of guilty to the accusation. He was therefore found guilty based on his plea and given a jail term.
Inspector Elikplim Avorgbedor, who was representing the prosecution, described how the event occurred on Sunday, May 29, 2022, about 7:00 am.
The victim's mother, Pearl Kumi, went to church first that morning and anticipated her daughter would soon follow.
After she had gone, the co-tenant who is accused contacted the victim and asked her to go out and get him some sachet water.
The accused instructed the girl to take the water inside his room when she came back with it. Mawunyefia Atim, his five-year-old son, who was by this point in the room, was told to leave by his father.
The accused pulled the victim into the room after the boy left and put his palm over her mouth. Then he forced himself to have sex with her. He urged the victim not to tell anybody about the event. The victim confessed in her buddy after a few days had passed. Later, this buddy told the victim's mother about what had happened.
Madam Kumi approached the suspect at first, who then told her what had transpired on that critical day.
On June 6, 2022, the victim's mother called the Aveyime Police Department to report the incident. She received a Police Medical Report authorising her to take her daughter to the hospital for evaluation and care. She gave the Police the examination findings back so they might help with their inquiry.
After then, the suspect was taken into custody and accused of defiling. When he was initially charged on June 13th, he entered a plea of guilty to the offence. He entered a plea of guilty and was given a seven-year jail term in exchange.
Isaac Addo, the judge, took into account the fact that the accused was a first-time offender, a family guy, and that he had pled guilty when determining how long to sentence him.
The judge also took into account the rise in defilement within the court's jurisdiction.