Francis Dzata, a 30-year-old farmer, has been sentenced to seven years in prison for defiling a 13-year-old class four student. The incident took place in Tafi Atome, a farming community in Ghana, and was reported to the authorities by the victim’s mother. Dzata pleaded not guilty to the charge when he appeared before the Hohoe Circuit Court on August 17, 2021, but was found guilty and sentenced accordingly.
According to Chief Inspector Charles Aziati, who was prosecuting the case, the incident took place on June 6, 2021, when the victim was using the latrine at her school in Tafi Atome. Dzata, who was sitting under a mango tree close to the latrine, allegedly pounced on the girl and pushed her to the ground, before forcibly defiling her and warning her not to tell anyone about the incident. However, the victim told her mother as soon as she got home, and the mother informed a local Unit Committee Chairman, who organized a group of community members to arrest Dzata and file a formal complaint with the police.
A police medical report was issued to send the victim to the hospital for examination and treatment, and the report confirmed that the victim had a broken hymen, lacerations to the vaginal wall, and bleeding, which are consistent with forceful penetration. Based on this evidence, Dzata was sentenced to seven years in prison.
