Wa, Ghana – Ahmed Rashid, a 35-year-old man facing trial in a Wa Circuit Court for alleged serial defilement, has completed his defence in the last three cases presented in court.
The prosecution is expected to submit written addresses regarding these three cases on October 17, 2023. Subsequently, a date for the final determination by the court will be set.
One of the dockets involved a victim approximately 13 years old, who accused the defendant of engaging in sexual acts with her on multiple occasions. Her testimony was split into three counts, two in 2022 and one in May 2023.
Another docket involved one victim, while the third docket involved three victims, with one of them claiming to be the accused person's cousin. All the victims in these cases were aged between 12 and 14 years.
Throughout the cross-examination in the three dockets, Ahmed Rashid consistently denied having sexual intercourse with the minors mentioned in the cases.
He asserted that, apart from his cousin, he had no knowledge of the other victims accusing him.
When asked whether the victims had visited his house before, Ahmed Rashid responded negatively.
However, Mr. Saeed Abdul Shakur, a Principal State Attorney in the Upper West Region, revealed that the survivors had informed the police about the specific location within the accused person's room where the sexual acts occurred when they were taken to his residence following his arrest.
Shakur alleged that the accused person took advantage of a period when his wife temporarily left their matrimonial home to stay with her sister as an opportunity to commit the alleged acts of defilement, a claim vehemently denied by Rashid.
The prosecutor further disclosed that Anaata's wife had expressed concerns about her husband's relationships with girls. Yet, Ahmed Rashid disputed this assertion.
When questioned whether he had his sister's (one of the victim's mother's) phone contact number memorized, the accused person denied it and stated that he had no significant dealings with her to warrant remembering her number.
The prosecutor contended that the victims had kept Rashid's phone contact number in their memory because of their involvement in transactions labelled “sex for food” and “sex for GH¢10.00.” Rashid, however, denied these allegations.
Despite the accused person's vigorous denials, Mr. Shakur expressed confidence in the state's strong case against Rashid, as demonstrated through the cross-examination.
Ahmed Rashid, who still lacks legal representation, submitted a bail application. However, the prosecutor vehemently opposed it, citing concerns that Rashid might flee trial.
In his ruling on the bail application, Presiding Judge Mr. Avogo cited Rashid's previous behaviour of absconding when an arrest warrant was issued as evidence that he might evade justice if granted bail.
Meanwhile, the court has scheduled October 17, 2023, as the date for delivering judgment in one of the four dockets.
Reporting by Philip Tengzu. Editing by Mariam Aminu.
