Taxi Driver jailed 12 years for defiling 14-year-old girl 

A 39-year-old taxi driver, Francis Amonsah, has been sentenced to 12 years imprisonment by the Circuit Court, Dansoman, for defiling a 14-year-old female, whose mother failed to accept his romantic proposal.

The court, presided over by Her Honour Halimah El-Alawa Abdul-Baasit, delivered the judgement after a full trial, during which the prosecution, led by Chief Inspector Christopher Wonder, presented compelling evidence from four witnesses including the victim, her aunt, an investigator and a medical officer.

Background

Per the facts of the case, the incident occurred in Accra, where the victim stays with her mother but visits her aunt at a different area, also in the capital from time to time.

However, on the morning of October 28, 2023 the girl showed signs of physical distress, prompting her aunt to question her. The girl then disclosed that she had been sexually abused on multiple occasions by the convict, a neighbour known to the family.

She reported that the convict would sometimes take her out after school or during playtime, give her drinks allegedly laced with a whitish substance, and then abuse her.

He would then give her a small amount of money (GH¢2.00) and threaten her not to speak out, else she will die.

A formal complaint was made to the Odorkor Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU).

Medical examinations supported the victim’s account was issued, leading to the arrest and subsequent trial of the convict.

Convict’s Defence 

The convict opened his defence by filing a witness statement on 21, May, 25. He stated that although he currently resides at Amasaman, he had lived at Mataheko for 23 years.

He testified that he knew the victim and her mother as former neighbours who lived opposite him at Mataheko.He had a cordial relationship with the victim’s mother and once expressed romantic interest in her, which she rejected, though they remained on friendly terms.

Later, he learned that the woman was dating another, older taxi driver, and he began teasing her about her choice, which upset her.

As a result, they stopped speaking to each other for about two years.The accused recounted an incident where he asked the victim to buy him water while he was sitting near her house with friends.

After the victim returned with the water, he overheard her mother scolding her for not helping with chores. He intervened to explain that he wasn’t aware she was needed for housework.

According to him, that was the last interaction he had with the victim or her mother before his arrest.

He concluded by stating that he has always maintained his innocence, pleaded not guilty to the charge of defilement and insisted that he has never had any physical contact with the victim.

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