Kojo Francis, a 19-year-old labourer, was sentenced to seven years� imprisonment by an Accra Circuit Court after he pleaded guilty to defiling a 13-year-old girl.
Kojo Francis, who was sentenced on his own plea, prayed the court, presided over by Ms Sedina Agbemava, for leniency.
The facts of the case as presented by the prosecuting officer ASP Veronica Ofei are that the complainant is a trader, who lives with the victim while the accused person lives at Chokor, a suburb of Accra.
She said the labourer undertook errands for the trader and noted that on March 6, 2014, the labourer asked the victim to accompany him to Nsutam in the Eastern Region.
According to her, the accused person asked the victim to wait for him at Kaneshie, which she did and they travelled to Nsutam.
Furthermore, she said the accused person returned the following day to Accra without the victim and left her in the care of his brother, who arrived at Kaneshie the next day with the victim.
The prosecutor noted that while the trader was frantically looking for the victim after her arrival, the labourer secretly sent her to a hotel called Nordsec at Korle-Gonno where he spent the night with her.
In addition, he stated that the following morning, the accused person left the victim for work.
She went for a stroll and was spotted by a man who knew that she had been declared missing.
The prosecutor noted that the said man reported the matter to the complainant and the accused person was transported home, adding that during questioning, the accused person said he had sex with her on two occasions.
In addition, she stated that the case was consequently reported to the police and the accused person was arrested while a form was issued to her to visit the hospital for medical examination.
The police said the accused person was arraigned before court after investigations.
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