87-year-old man jailed 20 years for defiling nine-year-old girl

By: Eugene Dogbatse Atsu
Yaw Gahornu, 87-year-old man, was on Wednesday sentenced to 20 years in prison by the Police Headquarters Gender-Based Violence Court after repeatedly defiling a nine-year-old girl at Ofankor in Accra.

Yaw Gahornu was sentenced after pleading guilty to two counts of defilement. The court imposed 10 years on each count and ordered that the sentences run consecutively, bringing his total prison term to 20 years.

Chief Inspector Opoku Aniagyei, who led the prosecution, said the abuse occurred between July and August 2026 whenever the victim went out to play near the accused’s residence.

“The accused repeatedly had sexual intercourse with the complainant between July and August 2026 whenever she went out to play near his residence,” he told the court.

The case came to light on August 29 when the girl’s mother, a 42-year-old trader, returned home from work and noticed blood stains on her daughter’s underwear.

When questioned, the child identified Gahornu, who lived in a wooden structure about 40 metres from their home, as the person responsible for the abuse.

According to the prosecution, Gahornu threatened to kill the girl if she disclosed the abuse to her mother.

“The accused warned the child not to tell her mother about the abuse and threatened to kill her if she did,” Chief Inspector Aniagyei said.

The abuse was uncovered on August 31 when Gahornu was allegedly caught in the act by his granddaughter. She reported the incident to her uncle, who informed the victim’s mother, leading to a report to the police.

The child was referred for medical examination after the report. Police said she was in stable condition but suffered lower abdominal pain, painful urination and faecal incontinence following the abuse.

“The victim was examined and found to be in stable condition, although she complained of lower abdominal pain, painful urination and faecal incontinence,” the prosecutor stated.

Gahornu, an unemployed man, admitted the two counts of defilement and was convicted on his own plea. Although the court noted that he was a first-time offender, had pleaded guilty and had already spent a month in lawful custody, it imposed the sentence because of the increasing incidence of the offence.

According to the court, the punishment was necessary to serve as a deterrent to others. Gahornu was discharged on a charge of unnatural carnal knowledge and will serve the two 10-year sentences consecutively.