"I Wanted To Marry Victim" - Convicted Labourer Declares

A nineteen-year-old labourer, Kujo Francis was on Wednesday sentenced to seven years imprisonment by an Accra Circuit Court for defiling a 13-year-old girl at Korle Gonno. Charged with defilement, Francis pleaded guilty and said he wanted to marry the victim. The court presided over by Ms Sedina Agbemava convicted Francis on his plea and sentenced him accordingly. Soon after the conviction, the Police informed the court that one Lawrence Mensah was sentenced by the same court for defiling the same victim when she was 11 years old. The court therefore charged the Police to investigate the victim�s age. Prosecuting Chief Inspector Veronica Ofei said the complainant Madam Bernice Baddoo and Francis reside at Chorkor in Accra. According to prosecution, Francis normally ran errands for the complainant. On March 6, this year at about 8:00pm, Francis asked the victim who leaves with the complainant to accompany him to his home town at Nsutam in the Eastern Region. Francis therefore met the victim at Kaneshie and both left for Nsutam. The following day Francis returned to Accra and left the victim at Nsutam to stay there for one week. Chief Inspector Ofei said it was Francis� brother known as Kweku who brought the victim back to Accra after she had spent four days at Nsutam. According to prosecution, Kweku brought the victim to Francis who took her (the victim) to Nordsee Hotel at Korle-Gonno. On March 18, this year, Francis had sex with the victim. Two days later the victim was strolling at the Hotel when a man identified her after she had been reported missing. The man, prosecution said, called the victim�s sister who came for her. The victim told her sister that Francis had sex with her on two occasions in February 2014 and March 2014. A report was made to the Police and Francis was arrested. During interrogation, he admitted the offence and added that he (Francis) wanted to marry the victim.