Martin Kuenyehia, a 45-year-old mason from Shia near Ho, has been sentenced to eight years in prison with hard labor for defiling a nine-year-old girl.
The sentencing took place last Wednesday, June 19, at the Ho Circuit Court, where Kuenyehia, who was unrepresented by counsel, pleaded not guilty.
Sergeant Kwadwo Otibu-Gyan, representing the prosecution, narrated to the court that in May of the previous year, Kuenyehia lured the young girl into a bathroom on two separate occasions and sexually assaulted her.
He enticed the unsuspecting girl by calling her over and instructing her to wait for him in the bathroom, where he then forced her into a supine position and had sex with her. Each time, he gave her GH¢1 to keep her silent about the assaults.
The prosecution revealed that the girl’s grandmother noticed changes in her behavior on June 12, 2023, which prompted her to question the child.
The girl then disclosed the abuse she had endured. The grandmother informed another family member, who confronted Kuenyehia. Initially, he denied the allegations but later gave GH¢20 to the family to buy medicine for the girl’s wounds.
Following a report to the police in Tokokoe and a medical examination at the Ho Teaching Hospital, Kuenyehia was arrested and charged with defilement.
Despite his plea of not guilty, the court, presided over by Felix Datsomor, found the prosecution’s case to be proven beyond a reasonable doubt and sentenced Kuenyehia to eight years of imprisonment with hard labor.
