A 25-year-old trader who escaped after allegedly defiling an eight-year-old girl, a year ago, has been nabbed and put before an Accra Circuit Court Joseph Kesse pleaded not guilty to defilement before the Gender Based Violence Court and was remanded into police custody to re-appear on June 23. Prosecuting, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Sarah Kwafo said the complainant was a revenue collector who lived with the accused in the same house at Odorkor in Accra. She said Kesse's stepmother, the landlady, sells iced cream in the house and the victim has been patronising the iced cream. On November 28, 2009, the stepmother of the accused was not available when the victim came to knock at her door to buy some iced cream. Prosecution said Kesse called the victim into his room, covered her mouth and defiled her after which he offered her some iced cream and send her away. When the victim went to school, she narrated her ordeal to her colleague who also informed their class teacher. The teacher in turn informed the victim's mother and during interrogation, she narrated the incident to her. However, Kesse escaped after the act. On June 9, this year, prosecution said the victim's mother boarded a commercial vehicle together with the accused and with the help of some witnesses, managed to apprehend Kesse to the police station and after investigations he was charged with the offence.Source: GNA