A taxi driver who sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl in his cab has been sentenced to 10 years in prison with hard labour by the Tarkwa Circuit Court.
The 20-year-old driver, Samuel Implame, pleaded guilty to the charge of defilement, leading to his conviction based on his own plea.
The prosecution, led by Police Chief Inspector Joseph Lartey, provided details of the case.
The complainant, a food vendor and the mother of the victim lived in Nankaba, while Implame resided on Cemetery Road, both in the Prestea Huni-Valley Municipality.
On August 22 of the same year, at around 9:00 PM, the victim boarded a Toyota Corolla taxi driven by the accused at Number Three, a suburb of Prestea, to go to Nankaba. Instead of taking her to her destination, the accused drove her through the town.
When the victim sensed danger, she began screaming for help. In response, the convict rolled up the vehicle’s tinted windows to prevent her from attracting public attention.
At around 11:30 PM, the accused took the victim to a remote area at Enyinam, where he parked the vehicle, forcibly removed the victim’s panties, and sexually assaulted her in the vehicle.
Unsatisfied, he then took the victim to a spot near the Ankobra bungalows and sexually assaulted her in the cab again.
The accused believed he had completed his actions and took the victim to her destination on August 28, around 1:00 AM, before going into hiding.
When the victim arrived home, she tearfully recounted her ordeal to her mother due to the pain she had suffered.
The mother reported the incident to the Prestea police, who issued a medical form for the victim to seek medical attention.
The victim was examined by a medical officer at the Prestea Government Hospital, who confirmed the assault.
Implame was subsequently arrested by the police and claimed during the investigation that the victim had consented to have sex with him.
The taxi was found abandoned by the roadside in Modern City, Prestea, and was impounded by the police.
