The Volta Regional Director of the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Mathew Oyih, was yesterday remanded in custody by the Ho Circuit Court for allegedly defiling a 14-year-old junior high school student.
Although he pleaded not guilty to the charge, the court, after hearing the evidence of the victim in camera, remanded the accused to reappear on April 10, 2015.
Before then, counsel for the accused, Mr Emil Atsu Agbakpe, had applied for bail, describing the facts of the prosecution as fabricated.
However, the trial judge, Mr Emmanuel Ayesu-Essampong, asked the victim to give her evidence to enable him to arrive at a decision on the bail application.
After the in-camera sitting, the judge denied the accused bail based on the evidence before the court.
Facts Presenting the facts of the case, Assistant Superintendent of Police Mr Isaac. A. A. Ahor stated that in July 2014, a witness in the case introduced the victim to the accused as her younger sister.
Since then, the 51-year-old civil servant had been inviting the victim to his house for sex after offering her money.
According to Mr Ahor, in February 2015, the victim went to Mr Oyih’s house and returned home late after the accused had sexually assaulted her.
He said when the complainant, the girl’s elder sister, allegedly confronted the accused, he vehemently denied the charge.
Report to DOVVSU In March 2015, he said, the victim missed her period and informed the accused person.
Suspecting that the victim might be pregnant, Mr Ahor said, the accused allegedly gave the girl some medicines and instructed her to swallow two and insert two into her sexual organs to abort the pregnancy.
He told the court that the victim, after taking the said drugs, rushed home and showed the remaining medicines to her sister.
On March 9, 2015, the victim was rushed to the Volta Regional Hospital in Ho after complaining of abdominal pains.
He said a report was then made to the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) on March 23, 2015 and the victim was given a medical form to attend hospital, where she was examined.
He said following a report issued by the hospital, the accused was arrested.
In his caution statement, the accused denied the offence but admitted that the girl was his friend.
Defence Meanwhile, in his submission for bail, Mr Agbakpe stated that the prosecution was dwelling on rumours.
According to him, there was no medical report to support the claim of the prosecution that the victim had been defiled.
Explaining to the court how the accused came to know the victim, Mr Agbakpe stated that the victim, whose school was close to the accused’s house, had been a friend of the accused and the complainant was aware of it.
Acting like a father, he said, the accused sometimes gave her money and that it was his generosity that the complainant had misconstrued to mean a love affair.
He said after the police had identified some loopholes in the case presented by the complainant, they granted the accused a police inquiry bail to make himself available whenever he was needed.
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