Tamale High Court jails 48-year-old over defilement

The Tamale High Court has sentenced a 48-year-old man to 15 years imprisonment with hard labour for defiling a 14-year-old schoolgirl at Nyanshegu, a suburb of Tamale.

Abdallah Mohammed was convicted on one count of defilement but acquitted on a second charge of abortion, after the prosecution failed to prove that he had coerced the victim into terminating her pregnancy.

The court, presided over by Justice Charles Kwesi Acheampong, also handed the convict a six-month sentence for perjury after he admitted to lying under oath during cross-examination. The sentences are to run concurrently.

Presenting the facts of the case, the prosecution told the court that the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Northern Regional Police Command received a complaint from the victim’s father on February 16, 2026.

The father reported that his daughter had left home for school on February 13, 2026, and only returned two days later.

Upon questioning, the girl disclosed that Abdallah Mohammed had engaged in repeated unprotected sexual intercourse with her over a six-month period.

Police investigations further revealed that on three separate occasions, the convict lured the teenager and paid her GH¢30 after each encounter.

When the victim became pregnant, Mohammed allegedly took her to a private hospital where the pregnancy was terminated without the knowledge or consent of her parents. That act led to his arrest and subsequent arraignment before the court.