A driver’s mate who allegedly had sexual intercourse with a girl under the age of 16 appeared before an Accra circuit court yesterday charged with defilement.
Patrick Narhgwah Narh, 20, pleaded not guilty and the court presided over by Mrs Christiana Cann granted him GH₵60,000 bail with three sureties.
As part of the bail condition, the court said that one of the sureties must be a public servant earning a net salary of not less than GH₵2,500 monthly.
The prosecutor, Police Detective Sergeant Opoku Agyemang said the accused and his parents used to live in the same house with the victim (name withheld) at Wireless/La in Accra.
He said the complainant, Simon Doku Sogbodjor, 57, is the mother of the victim.
The court heard that the accused and his parents relocated to another area, but he occasionally paid a visit to the complainant.
Detective Sgt Agyemang stated that Narh sexually molested the victim for the first time in March this year, and repeated the same act on July 23, last month.
The policeman said the victim raised the alarm when the accused sexually assaulted the victim, noting that he managed to escape.
It was the case of the prosecution that a complaint was lodged with the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU), where the victim was issued with a police medical form to seek treatment at the hospital.
Detective Sgt Agyemang said the accused was later arrested and he admitted the offence in his caution statement.
Mrs Cann asked the prosecutor to file witness statement and served copies on the accused.
The accused would make his second appearance in court on September 9, 2020.
BY MALIK SULLEMANA
