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The Asokwa Juvenile Court has struck out the case involving five suspects allegedly linked to the 'gang-rape' of a teen at Bantama in the Ashanti Region.
The case has been transferred to the Kumasi Circuit Court based on new evidence that one of the suspects is not a minor.
Nhyira FM’s Ohemeng Tawiah reported that the state attorney quoted a law indicating that when minors commit a crime with adults, they will be tried in open court.
"...that has influenced the decision to move the case to the circuit court and the suspects are expected to appear in court today, [Thursday]" he said.
The five were early on arrested by the police after they allegedly had non-consensual sexual intercourse with a girl believed to be under-age.
The video of the incident that went viral on social media, showed the teenage girl pinned down on a mattress by one of her abusers while his accomplices took turns to sexually abuse her.
It was believed that the suspects were all minors hence the decision of state prosecutors to pursue the case in a juvenile court and in-camera.
According to information available to Joy News, however, the state attorney in charge of the case has revealed that one of the suspects in the case is not a minor, hence the need to move the case from the juvenile court.
The suspects, who were discharged on earlier charges of conspiracy to defile and defilement, have subsequently been re-arrested for trial in a circuit court.
At the Kumasi Circuit court, lawyers for the suspects failed to show up. Some guardians of the suspect also did not turn up. The court was therefore adjourned to January 31, 2018.
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