Tamale High Court Sentences Man to 15 Years for Defiling 14-Year-Old, Convicts Him of Perjury
Court finds prosecution proved victim was 14 years old beyond reasonable doubt; convict receives additional six-month sentence for lying under oath.
- 48-year-old jailed 15 years for defiling a 14-year-old girl.
- Additional six months imposed for perjury after lying under oath
- Abortion charge dismissed due to insufficient evidence
The Tamale High Court has sentenced 48-year-old Abdallah Mohammed to 15 years’ imprisonment with hard labour after finding him guilty of defiling a 14-year-old girl.
Presiding judge Charles Kwesi Acheampong also handed Mohammed an additional six-month jail term for perjury after ruling that he deliberately lied under oath during cross-examination.
A central issue during the trial was the age of the victim. While the prosecution maintained that the complainant was 14 years old at the time of the offence, Mohammed argued that she was 18, claiming her physical appearance and conversations with him made him believe she was an adult.
The defence further challenged a birth certificate submitted by the prosecution, presenting a report from the Births and Deaths Registry which indicated that the document could not be located in its records.
Despite the challenge, the court relied on the testimony of the victim and her guardian, as well as evidence from earlier proceedings before a Circuit Court.
Justice Acheampong ruled that the prosecution had proven beyond reasonable doubt that the complainant was 14 years old when the offence occurred and consequently convicted Mohammed of defilement.
However, the court acquitted him on a separate charge of abortion, finding that the prosecution failed to provide sufficient evidence to prove that he had induced the victim to terminate a pregnancy.
