Man, 87, jailed 20 years for defiling nine-year-old girl at Ofankor

An 87-year-old man, Yaw Gahornu, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison by the Police Headquarters Gender-Based Violence Court for the defilement of a nine-year-old girl in Ofankor. The victim suffered from lower abdominal pain, painful urination, and fecal incontinence due to the sexual acts he performed on her, involving both the vagina and anus.

Gahornu pleaded guilty to two counts of defilement and was convicted on his plea. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison for each count, with the sentences to run consecutively. The court discharged him on the lesser charge of unnatural carnal knowledge, as the accused was a first-time offender who had spent a month in lawful custody.

The prosecution, led by Chief Inspector Opoku Aniagyei, stated that the victim's mother, a 42-year-old trader, lived in the same neighborhood as Gohornu, in Ofankor, Accra. Gohornu's residence, a wooden structure, was approximately 40 meters away from the victim's home. The court heard that Gohornu began luring the victim into anal and vaginal sex from July to August 31, 2026, when he was caught in the act.

On August 29, the victim's mother noticed blood stains on her daughter's pants and questioned her about it. Gohornu threatened to kill the victim if she told anyone about the sexual acts. The matter was reported to the police on August 31, and the victim was found to be in stable condition but suffering from lower abdominal pain, painful urination, and fecal incontinence due to the sexual assault.