Man jailed for sexually abusing daughter

A 39-year-old electrician has been sentenced to 25 years' imprisonment with hard labour  by the Accra Circuit Court for having sexual intercourse with his daughter.

Reuben Yartey admitted committing the offence on December 31, 2013 and was accordingly convicted on his own plea by the court, presided over by Ms Ellen Vivian Amoah.

Yartey was charged with one count of defilement of a female child under 16, contrary to section 101 of Act 29/60.

He was said to have sexually abused his daughter, aged 15, for the past four years.

Trial judge
Passing the sentence, Ms Amoah stated that Yartey had tasted the "forbidden fruit" of his daughter and must, therefore, suffer the punishment.

She indicated that the court had decided to pass the 25-year sentence to serve as a deterrent to others who might harbour such nauseating feelings towards their children.

Ms Amoah emphasised that such acts were unlawful and unacceptable.

According to the presiding judge, the laws of the land frowned on such acts and further invited society to be bold in reporting such persons to the ­­­­police.

Facts of the case
The facts of the case were that the convict,a resident of Gbawe in Accra, fathered the victim by her mother out of wedlock.

He lived in the same single room apartment with the victim, who is a junior high school (JHS) student in her second year.

On the day of the incident, the victim was asleep when Yartey took advantage of her and forcibly had sex with her.

According to the prosecution, Yartey warned the victim to not disclose what had happened to anyone.

However, the victim confided in her headmistress, who in turn invited her mother to the school to listen to her daughter's ordeal.

Report
The girl's mother, on February 14, 2014, reported Yartey's act to the Odorkor Division of the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service.

Yartey was eventually picked up on March 2, 2014, and he admitted the offence in his caution statement.

Writer's email: [email protected].