From Daniel Y. Dayee, Berekum – Bono Region
A defilement case involving a 12-year-old pupil who has given birth to a premature baby is suffering repeated delays at the Berekum Circuit Court, prompting the presiding judge to issue a strong warning to prosecutors.
Her Honour Cynthia Emefa Ohene, who is hearing the case, expressed dissatisfaction at the last sitting on July 13, 2026, after the substantive prosecutor failed to appear in court.
Chief Inspector J. B. Kwashie, who held brief for the substantive prosecutor, could not offer any substantial update on the case. The judge warned that if due diligence is not done by the next adjourned date, August 24, 2026, she would be compelled to advise herself.
FATHER ALLEGES ATTEMPT TO FRUSTRATE JUSTICE
The complainant and father of the victim, Mr. Abina Christopher, a farmer from Jinijini in the Berekum West District, told this paper he is frustrated. According to him, this is the fifth consecutive time the case has been called without progress.
He alleged that there are deliberate efforts to frustrate the case because the suspect, Yaw Owusu, 40, also known in the community as “Mosquito” or “General”, is a politically exposed person in the area.
The victim, a JHS 1 pupil of Pentecost Preparatory School at Jinijini, is now 13 years old. She is nursing a three-month-old premature baby and has stopped schooling.
HOW THE CASE WAS DETECTED
The mother of the victim, Madam Maabia Francisca, 44, also a farmer, said it was a teacher at the Pentecost Child Development Centre who first detected the pregnancy and alerted the family.
“We sent her to the Berekum Holy Family Hospital where it was confirmed she was six months pregnant. She herself did not even know she was pregnant,” the mother said.
When questioned, the girl mentioned the suspect as being responsible. She told her parents that while she was on an errand, the suspect called her to his residence, invited her into his room and had sexual intercourse with her against her will.
The victim said the suspect promised to give her GH¢50 but never fulfilled the promise. Instead, he allegedly lured her on subsequent occasions with the same promise and had sexual intercourse with her again. He also allegedly threatened to kill her if she disclosed the act to anyone.
The matter was subsequently reported to the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service in Berekum. The suspect was arrested and charged with defilement and has been appearing before the court.
VICTIM NEEDS SUPPORT
Officials of the Jinijini Pentecost Child Development Centre, which operates the school, told this reporter that medical screening conducted on the victim shows she tested negative for sexually transmitted infections.
The family is praying the court to ensure that the suspect takes responsibility for the upkeep of the teenage mother and her premature baby, who was delivered in April this year.
OTHER ALLEGED VICTIMS AFRAID TO COME FORWARD
Information gathered from the Jinijini community indicates that apart from the current case before the court, there are alleged reports of three to four other similar incidents involving the same suspect. However, families of those alleged victims are unwilling to come forward for fear of stigmatization.
The case has been adjourned to August 24, 2026.