A 32-year-old painter has been dragged to court for sodomising a 14-year old boy.

Foster Nyarko Batious has, however, been granted a ¢20,000 bail, with three sureties; one to be justified.

Foster Nyarko Batious pleaded not guilty to the charge and would reappear before the Kumasi Circuit Court presided by Patricia Amponsah on August 27, this year.

Police Chief Inspector Mercy Quaye, prosecuting, told the court that the complainant, Mabel Gandaa, mother of the victim, is a prison warder stationed at Kumasi Central Prisons, and resides at South Suntreso.

She said the accused is a painter and also a resident of South Suntreso.

Inspector Quaye said, in April 2020 this year, the accused met the victim who had been sent to buy bread and established acquaintance with him.

She said they exchanged contact numbers, and the accused told the victim to call him anytime he wanted.

The prosecution said the next day around the same time, the accused called the victim and ask that he visit him.

Inspector Quaye said, the victim accepted this invitation and went to the accused’s room.

She said in the room, the accused undressed and masturbated to the boy.

The prosecution said the accused later told the victim to undress, after which forcefully sodomized the victim for a period of about ten minutes.

She said the accused then threatened to kill the victim if he told and then went ahead to repeat the act with the victim in his room the next day.

Inspector Quaye said the complainant got wind of it when she spotted the victim’s love messages with other males on social media.

The prosecution said the victim later narrated his ordeal to the complainant and the case was reported to the Ashanti Regional Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) where the accused was subsequently arrested.

She said the accused in his cautioned statement denied the allegations but after Police investigations, he was charged with the offence and brought before the Court.