A 38-year-old scrap dealer has been arraigned before the Akyem Swedru Circuit Court for allegedly defiling a 15-year-old first-year student of St. Francis Senior High School and infecting her with HIV.
The accused, Haruna Ishaq, pleaded not guilty to charges of abduction, defilement, and willful transmission of HIV.
Presiding judge Akosua Ataa Nyarko granted the accused bail of GH¢60,000 with three sureties to be justified, after defence counsels Nana Asare-Djikunu and Richard Offin successfully appealed on health grounds, citing his need for medical attention. Ishaq is expected to reappear in court on October 23, 2025, for continuation of the trial.
Before being granted bail, Ishaq had been remanded twice in police custody. The presiding judge had initially considered a third remand before the defence’s appeal was upheld.
According to the prosecution, the complainant, the victim’s mother, resides with her daughter at Oda New Lorry Park, where she trades in iced kenkey and sobolo. The accused lives at Oda CMB area.
On April 26, 2025, the complainant sent her daughter to sell drinks, but the girl failed to return home for three days. Following an intensive search by her friends, the accused, upon realising the mother was looking for her, released the victim.
The complainant subsequently reported the matter to the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service at Oda on April 30, 2025.
During interrogation, the victim disclosed that Ishaq had sexual intercourse with her multiple times during the three days she was held captive. The accused was later arrested, and in his caution statement, admitted to being in a romantic relationship with the victim and confessed to both abduction and defilement.
A medical examination conducted at the Oda Government Hospital confirmed that the victim had been defiled and infected with HIV.
Despite his earlier admission in his caution statement, Ishaq pleaded not guilty when he appeared before the court.
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