Farmer to spend seven years in prison for defiling a 15-year-old girl

A 25-year-old farmer, who lured a 15-year-old girl at Bisa near Asesewa in the Eastern Region into his kitchen and defiled her, has been sentenced to seven years imprisonment by an Odumase-Krobo Circuit Court.

Eli Segbedo, charged with defilement contrary to section 101 of Act 29/60 as amended by section 11 of Act 29/60, pleaded guilty to the charge.

The Court presided over by Mr. Frank Gbeddy, convicted Eli on his own plea.

The Prosecution, led by Detective Chief/Insp Daniel Apedo, said the complainant, Ade Gideon, a neighbor of the accused, was a 35-year-old farmer also residing at Bisa.

He said the victim was a 15-year-old school dropout residing with the complainant and his wife.

The Prosecution said on May 5, 2022, at about 12:00 am, the complainant and his wife went to a funeral. He added that Eli took advantage of the couple's absence to lure the girl into his kitchen where he had sex with her.

The following day, the complainant noticed changes in the victim's movements and, alarmed by this, questioned her.

The victim, the prosecution added, narrated her ordeal at the hands of the accused to her guardian while they were away the previous night.

Based on this information, a report was subsequently made to the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service at Asesewa who issued a police medical report to the complainant to send the victim to a hospital for medical examination.

The medical report endorsed by Dr. Theodore Dovlo of the Asesewa Government Hospital said, “bruises on external genitalia with bleeding, hymen broken and whitish vaginal discharge,” were found upon examination of the victim.

Based on the report's findings, the accused was subsequently arrested where he admitted the offence in an investigation caution statement taken from him in the presence of an independent witness.

After investigations, the accused was charged with the offence.