A circuit court in Kumasi has convicted one of the suspects in connection with the Bantama rape case to seven years imprisonment.
According to the court, the suspect, Ernest Asare, 20, was the only adult among the five suspects when the crime was committed.
He was found guilty of defilement and conspiracy to defile.
The court presided over by Her Honor Comfort Tasiame has referred the four other suspects who have been charged with abetment to commit defilement to the juvenile court for their respective sentences.
Yahaya Seidu, one of the lawyers for the accused persons, said they were disappointed in the judgement.
He said although they produced ample evidence to back their claim that Ernest Asare was also a juvenile, the court found it insufficient.
She convicted them for all the offences that were preferred against them, defilement and conspiracy to defilement and abetment to defilement and based on that, they were convicted accordingly. They were 5 people who were charged. 4 of them turned out to be juveniles.
For the other boy, the court said even though evidence was produced he was a juvenile, it was not satisfied with the evidence so he was convicted is an adult and the sentenced to 7 years imprisonment.
We are disappointed. We did our best as lawyers but at the end of the day the court said they are guilty… We believe that after going through the full judgment, if there is a way out, we will take the option with the consent of the parents of our client.
He said the four other suspects are currently in the custody of the juvenile home and will be transferred to the juvenile court for later sentencing.
In respect to the 4 other juveniles, they have been taken to the juvenile home awaiting transfer to the juvenile court for sentencing under the juvenile justice system.
In December 2017, many Ghanaians were left outraged after a viral video showed about five young boys holding down a young girl and forcibly having sex with her.
Three suspects were initially arrested, but more were arrested later. The victim, who was found to be 18-years-old was later given medical and psychological help by the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ashanti Regional Police Command and the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital.
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