Mason, 45, defiles 9-year-old •Gives her GH¢1 as ‘bribe’

A MASON at Shia, near Ho, Martin Kuenyehia, who on two occasions lured a nine-year-old girl into a bathroom and had sex with her before giving her GH¢1 to maintain secrecy over the sex acts was last Wednesday (June 19) sentenced to eight years imprisonment in hard labour by the Ho Circuit Court.

Kuenyehia, 45, who was not represented by a counsel, pleaded not guilty.

Sergeant Kwadwo Otibu-Gyan, who represented the republic, told the court presided over by Felix Datsomor that sometime in May last year; Kuenyehia saw the girl near her house at Shia in the evening and called her to come over.

The prosecution said when the girl approached him, Kuenyehia instructed her to go and wait for him in a nearby bathroom and the unsuspecting girl obliged.

“Subsequently, the mason followed her into the bathroom where he removed her pants and forced her into a supine position before having sex with her,” the prosecution added.

The court heard that after the sex act, Kuenyehia gave the girl GH¢1.

The prosecution said Kuenyehia again lured the child into the same bathroom another evening, repeated the sexual assault on her and gave her GH¢1.

On June 12, 2023, however, the prosecution said the girl’s grandmother noticed changes in her and questioned her, whereupon she revealed the ordeal she suffered at the hands of Kuenyehia.

The grandmother immediately informed another family member about what the girl told her and she in turn confronted the mason.

The prosecution said Kuenyehia initially denied the allegations but he later gave GH¢20 to the girl’s family to buy medicines to treat the wounds in her private part.

Based on that, a report was made to the police at nearby Tokokoe, leading to the arrest of Kuenyehia, who was then charged with defilement after a medical examination was conducted on the girl at the Ho Teaching Hospital.

Passing sentence, the court said although Kuenyehia pleaded not guilty, the prosecution proved its case beyond doubt.

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