Cape Coast Circuit Court Acquits & Discharges SDA Pastor for Allegedly Defiling a 14-Year-Old Pupil
The Cape Coast Circuit Court presided over by Justice Kofi Seshie Ametewee has acquited and discharged a Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) Church Pastor, Joseph Mensah Wiredu for allegedly defiling a 14-year-old girl at Ekumfi Eyisam in the Ekumfi District in 2015.
According to the Judge, "on the totality of the facts, and evidence adduced, I would have to say Prosecution has fallen short of proving its case to the standard required by law and with these serious doubts, I am unable to convict the Accused person. I hereby acquit and discharge him."
Background
A 27-year-old associate pastor of the Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) Church was on Tuesday remanded into police custody by a Cape Coast Circuit Court for allegedly defiling a 14-year-old girl at Ekumfi Eyisam in the Ekumfi District in 2015.
The court, which sat in camera, did not take the plea of Pastor Joseph Wiredu Mensah who had been charged with defilement and adjourned the case to January 30.
Police Inspector Samuel Amoako told the court presided over by Mr. Kofi Seshie Ametewee that the mother of the victim, a trader, lives at Ekumfi Eyisam near Mankessim with her daughter.
He said in October 2014, the girl's mother pleaded with the pastor and his wife who is her class teacher to allow the girl to live with and serve them but he reluctantly accepted after the mother had insisted.
Inspector Amoako alleged that between November and December in 2014, Mensah had sexual intercourse with the victim on three occasions but the last encounter ended her at the hospital after she collapsed and this compelled the victim to tell her mother about her ordeal.
He said Mensah took the girl to the Saltpond Government Hospital where she was admitted, treated and discharged.
On hearing of the incident, the girl's mother reported the issue to the police and Pastor Mensah was arrested.
According to Inspector Amoako, the pastor told the police that he took her to the Saltpond Government Hospital in the company of a colleague, where she was treated and discharged and that the girl had revealed to him that whilst she was living at Ashaiman she was defiled.
The pastor further alleged that the girl reported to him that someone attempted to defile her when she came to live with him and he was compelled to send the girl back to her mother when she started acting strangely.
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