The Gender-Based Violence Court at the Police Headquarters in Accra has sentenced a chainsaw operator to 15 years in prison for having sex with his 12-year-old stepdaughter.  

Ishmael Addo, 43, was charged with two counts of defilement and pleaded guilty.  

Addo admitted to having intercourse with the victim on two occasions. 

The court presided over by Dora Araba Eshun convicted Addo on his own plea. 

It sentenced Addo to 15 years imprisonment on each count. Sentences were however to run concurrently. 

The court further ordered Addo to compensate the victim with GH¢3,600 and pay for her medical bills. 

The prosecution, led by Chief Inspector Opoku Aniagyei, told the court that the complainant is a trader and mother of the victim, who is 12 years old and a class three pupil.  

It said Addo is the complainant’s boyfriend and the victim’s stepfather. 

According to Chief Inspector Aniagyei, they all lived together in Asofa. 

The prosecution told the court that the complainant traveled to Afram Plains last month and left the victim in Addo’s care.  

 The complainant received a call from a friend and a co-tenant on August 10, 2024, informing her that the victim was not well.  

When the complainant returned from her trip, the co-tenant informed her that the victim had confided in her, revealing that Addo had intercourse with her on August 3 and 4, 2024.  

According to the prosecution, when the complainant questioned the victim, she corroborated the sexual conduct between her and Addo. 

The victim told the complainant that Addo threatened to punish her if she told anybody about it. 

The victim disclosed that Addo had previously had sex with her twice while her mother was fast asleep at night.  

The complainant confronted Addo and reported the matter to the Asofa police, who arrested him.  

The prosecution said the complainant was issued a form to seek medical attention for the victim. 

It said the matter was transferred to the Tesano Divisional Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU).