The man who had a child by his 16-year-old daughter a year ago, was yesterday jailed 20 years by an Accra Circuit Court. Forty-five-year-old Laud Ford Mensah, a security officer, was charged with incest, and was convicted on his own plea by the court, presided over by Mrs Georgina Mensah Datsa. Looking sober in the dock yesterday, Mensah told the court: "My Lord, I am guilty." This, made everyone exclaimed in surprise, resulting in the shout of "order! order in court!" by court orderlies. The prosecution told the court that Mensah divorced for the past eight years, lived with his five daughters at Agbogba in Accra. To keep her from coming into contact with people, Mensah confined his daughter to their home and sexually assaulted her many times until she got pregnant. On his arrest on Friday, June 6, Mensah confessed to the police that he had had sex with his daughter and admitted being the father of her child who is not a year old and whom he named Felicia Mensah. He did so without the knowledge of his family because he said he did not want anyone to know about his affair with his daughter. The prosecution said his daughter told the police that her father started making advances at her last year, and threatened to kill her if she refused to give in, so she obliged. But, when he resumed making advances at her later after the child was born, she refused to give in and reported her ordeal to the Madina police who arrested him. Source: The Times