Oyibi: Pastor jailed 23 years for defilement
A pastor has been sentenced to 23 years in prison for defilement.
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Benjamin Achaab was found guilty of defiling an 11-year-old girl, who is now 14 years old.
The conviction was handed down by an Adentan Circuit Court, presided over by Dora Araba Eshun Nkumsah.
The judge said the convict failed to prove his innocence beyond reasonable doubt and that his sentence should serve as a deterrent to others.
Rev. Achaab will serve his sentence in hard labour at the Nsawam Prison in the Eastern Region.
The case unfolded during a three-year trial, where Benjamin Achaab pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Facts
Presenting the case before the court, the prosecutor, Chief Inspector Juliana Awuku, said the complainant, who is also the mother of the victim, is a trader and a resident of Oyibi, Accra.
According to the prosecutor, the victim and her brother went to the church for keyboard lessons, as the convict had contracted a keyboardist to teach some church members.
The instructor, however, did not show up but the convict was in the church auditorium so the children decided to practise on their own in his presence.
She said along the line, the brother of the victim excused himself to visit the washroom.
According to the prosecutor, it was during that time that the convict allegedly dragged the victim onto the floor, tore her dress and had sexual intercourse with her.
The prosecutor said after the incident, he threatened the victim not to tell anyone and that she would die, if she did.
She added that the victim only disclosed the incident to her mother after she was found scratching her vagina and experiencing discomfort days later.
This prompted the complainant to inspect the vagina and realised a smelly yellowish discharge.
The complainant promptly reported the incident to the Oyibi Police Station, where a medical examination was conducted,” the prosecutor said.
Chief Inspector Awuku said the examination confirmed that the victim's hymen had been broken and inflamed.
This led to the arrest and questioning of the pastor, who denied any wrongdoing.
However, after further investigation, he was charged and brought before the court.
