A 34-year-old teacher Jephtah Agyarko has been sentenced to 12 years in prison with hard labour by the Tarkwa Circuit Court for defiling a pupil in his class.
Agyarko pleaded guilty to the charge of defilement when he first appeared in court, and the presiding judge, Hathia Ama Manu, deferred the sentence.
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According to Chief Inspector Joseph Lartey, who was prosecuting the case, the complainant is a farmer who resides in Tetrem, a town in the Tarkwa-Nsuaem municipality.
The complainant’s 14-year-old daughter was the victim in this case, and Agyarko was her former class teacher who also worshipped with her and her parents in the same church.
On June 23, 2023, after school hours, Agyarko deliberately asked the victim if she would attend the watch night service organized by their church on the same day.
The victim, unaware of Agyarko’s intentions, informed him that she would not be attending but mentioned that her parents would be present.
Later that day, around 8:00 PM, the victim was alone at home when she heard a knock on the door. She opened the door and found Agyarko standing outside their main gate.
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The victim questioned him about his unexpected visit, but Agyarko claimed he came to visit someone in Tetrem and decided to check on her.
The victim allowed Agyarko to sit in their living room, but he took advantage of the situation and forcibly had sexual intercourse with her.
Fearing punishment from her parents, the victim chose not to inform them and kept the incident to herself.
Chief Inspector Lartey stated that the victim, unhappy with Agyarko’s behavior, attempted to express her disappointment through a letter.
Unfortunately, the victim’s headmaster intercepted the letter. On August 13, 2023, the headmaster and Agyarko acted upon the letter’s contents and informed the victim’s parents.
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Subsequently, on August 18, 2023, the parents reported the incident to the police, leading to Agyarko’s arrest.
During the interrogation, Agyarko admitted to the offence in his investigation caution statement.