The Assin Fosu Magistrate Court has sentenced a 17-year-old boy to the Senior Correctional Center to serve 36 months with hard labour for physically assaulting and defiling his 12-year-old biological sister at Assin Kyekyewere.
Presenting the case before the court presided over by His Worship Abdul Majid Iliasu, the prosecutor, Sergeant Matilda Osaah Buabeng, said the underage girl (name withheld) was returning from school while it was raining cats and dogs so the Juvenile offender, Kofi Sammy, who happens to be a biological brother of the victim asked her to take shelter in his veranda and continue her journey home after the rain.
While on the veranda, Kofi Sammy forced her into his room and sexually assaulted her.
In the course of the act, the victim screamed for help but the juvenile offender who thought the noise could attract people’s attention to the place muffled her and twisted her neck and thereon had sexual intercourse with her when the survivor had already lost consciousness.
Sergeant Osaah Buabeng continued that after committing the heinous act, the offender who thought the girl had died let her down through his window to the back of the building and covered her with palm branches, with an intent to hide her from the sight of passersby.
After the heavy rainfall, the supposed dead girl gained consciousness and reported the incident to her parents.
A complaint was formerly made to the police by the parents and a medical form was issued to seek medical care for the survivor, and the juvenile offender was subsequently arrested.
The prosecution said the 17-year-old offender who is a school dropout, in his caution statement, admitted to having committed the offence.
He also pleaded guilty to the offence and was convicted accordingly.
According to the court, Kofi Sammy will be serving 36 months in the senior correctional Center at Mamobi in Accra.
Meanwhile, the Director of Social Welfare and Community Development in Assin Fosu, Mr Angus Amoah who formed part of the jury panel that sat on the case in chambers vehemently condemned the act, saying such a barbaric act must in no form or shape be entertained in society.
He said the social inquiry his outfit conducted revealed that the offender’s moral turpitudes were born out of parental neglect.
He thus used the opportunity to implore parents to give their wards the maximum support both in school and at home and added that the children need both parents to help shape their lives as they grow up.
He said though the survivor is currently stable medically, a clinical psychologist will be assigned to her and her family for thorough counselling since she was traumatized, and that could affect her as she grows.
