Source: newsthemegh.com
A Sogakope Circuit Court sentenced Mensah Believe, a 27-year-old junior high teacher at Lume Ahugakope MA Basic School in the Akatsi South Municipality of the Volta Region, to seven years in prison for defiling a 13-year-old pupil.
When he appeared in court on Wednesday, the defendant—who teaches English and information and communication technology (ICT)—pleaded guilty to the crimes of defiling a child under the age of 16 and sodomy.
The defendant, a trained teacher and a native of Dzodze, was involved in the act with a 13-year-old male student at the same school, according to Detective Chief Inspector Joseph Ajongbah, the prosecuting attorney, who testified before the court, which was presided over by Mr. Joseph Mark Ali.
He claimed that some residents complained the young teacher’s improper community behavior to the Assembly member for action.
After hearing the accused’s plea, Mr. Ali, the Sogakope Circuit Court Judge, found him guilty and sentenced him to hard labor.
After being submitted to the Akatsi South Education Directorate for questioning, the inmate reportedly initially rejected the accusations.
He confessed to having committed the act after the case was reported to the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Akatsi Police.
The incident has since been denounced by Mr. Prosper Agbeli, Chairman of the Akatsi South and North Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT).
But he urged local officials to involve the Association in all matters involving teachers.