The proprietor of the Great Lamptey-Mills school, Enoch Nii Lamptey-Mills, who was arrested for allegedly impregnating and marrying a 16-year-old former student of his school, made his first appearance in court yesterday.
The case was, however, heard-in-camera and both the prosecution and the defence were tight-lipped on the charges preferred against the accused who is currently on police enquiry bail.
Sources close to the court told the Times newspaper that Lampety Mills has been charged together with the mother of the girl and one other person whose identity was not disclosed.At about 10:40a.m., Lamptey-Mills, who had taken his seat at the Accra Circuit Court, presided over by Mrs. Georgina Datsah, was called to the judge�s chamber together with his counsel and the prosecution.
After about some minutes, they came out of the judge�s chamber but both the prosecution and the defence refused to disclose the charges against the three accused persons, facts of the case and what went on in the chamber.
The case has been adjourned to October 19. Section 14 (1) of the Children�s Act, 1998 provides that, �No person shall force a child: (a) to be betrothed; (b) to be the subject of a dowry transaction; or (c) to be married.�Subsection 2 of Section 14 provides that �the minimum age of marriage of whatever kind shall be 18 years�. The Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) told the media last month that Lamptey-Mills had been charged with forcibly marrying a minor and failing to take responsibility as a father.
The mother was also likely to be charged for adding and abetment of crime, according to DOVVSU. Lamptey-Mills is alleged to have performed the marriage rites to make the victim who was then a student of the Great Lamptey-Mills Senior High School at Kasoa, his wife.
Police sources said one year after the girl gave birth, Lamptey-Mills had failed to keep to his promise building a house for the girl, providing for the upkeep of mother and child, as well as restoring the girl, who is now 18 years, to school. Lamptey-Mills was arrested last Wednesday evening and spent the night in cells at the Ministries Police Station.
Source: The Ghanaian Times
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