Eric Bawuah, the 28-year-old gym instructor who is on trial at the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly circuit court for allegedly raping and robbing a 19-year-old seamstress apprentice, has stated that the alleged victim charged him GH¢10 for sex. Opening his defence in court on Thursday, the stoutly-built gym instructor denied raping the lady under duress, saying she consented to the act. Bawuah, who is also a former Mr. Ghana contestant also denied a charge of robbing the lady of GH¢30 after the sexual act. Bawuah, who was without a legal counsel, likewise denied an allegation by a prosecution witness that he threatened to deal ruthlessly with anyone who dared come near the action spot to save the victim. The gym instructor explained that when he saw the victim at the Asafo Neoplan Station on the dawn of Wednesday, July 29, 2009, she agreed to have sex with him after she had collected GH¢10 from him and given it to her sister. He said he decided to have sex with the victim at the open space drinking spot when the victim, after collecting the money and sitting in the taxi, refused to go home with him. Bawuah entreated the court not to entertain the victim because according to him, she was a prostitute who was trying to frame him up. After listening to the testimony, the court presided over by Justice Adjei Frimpong, remanded the accused into prison custody for the third consecutive time, to re-appear in court on August 19, 2009. Bawuah, at the sitting on Wednesday, July 5, 2009, could not give his testimony to the court, as he failed to hold back his tears when he was asked by the judge to respond to the testimony of the victim. Against this background, the judge adjourned sitting to Thursday August 6, 2009 to enable the accused to properly open his defense. In her testimony, the victim said she was at the Asafo Neoplan Station that dawn to board a bus to Accra after visiting her sister in Kumasi when the accused suddenly appeared from nowhere, held her hand and demanded that she followed him. The victim said she refused to oblige because she did not know Bawuah, but the accused who said he was a ‘killer’, threatened to deal ruthlessly with her if she failed to comply. She said the accused forcibly took her to an open space drinking spot where he tore her clothes into shreds and raped her on a chair after wearing a condom. Source:Daily Guide