19-year-old carpenter, Francis Cudjoe, has been sentenced to 50 years imprisonment by the Tarkwa Circuit Court for defiling a Primary Two pupil.
According to Ghana News Agency, Cudjoe pleaded guilty with an explanation, but the court overruled it.
Although the carpenter was charged with defilement on counts one and two and was sentenced to 25 years each which run consecutively – the offences were committed in 2023 and 2024 respectively
Before judgment was passed, Cudjoe went on his knees and said: “My Lady, l have wronged; l beg everyone in court, especially the mother of the victim to forgive me.”
The prosecutor, Police Superintendent Juliana Essel-Dadzie, told the court presided over by Mrs Hathia Ama Manu, that the complainant is the mother of the victim agesevenld and both live at Bankyim, a suburb of Tarkwa.
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She said the complainant operates a chop bar and Cudjoe, who is a close friend, usually runs errands for her.
Superintendent Essel-Dadzie said Cudjoe took advantage of the relationship between him and the complainant and started sneaking into the victim’s room to have sexual intercourse with her since 2023.
The prosecution said in March 2024, Cudjoe had sex with the victim again, while the complainant had left home for church.
On March 13, 2024, two teachers in the victim’s school confronted her (victims) that Cudjoe had been reported to the police for defiling a pupil in their school and considering her close relationship with him, they highly suspected he might have committed a similar offence against her.
The court heard that the victim then informed them that Cudjoe was having sex with her since 2023.
Superintendent Essel-Dadzie said the teachers, after questioning the victim, narrated everything to their colleague and she contacted the complainant and broke the news to her.
The Prosecution said with the information from the school, the complainant reported the matter to the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit, DOVVSU, Tarkwa, and Cudjoe was arrested and detained to assist with investigations.
She said the police issued a medical form to the complainant on behalf of the victim to be examined at the Tarkwa Municipal Hospital and the same was endorsed and returned to the police.