A self-styled pastor who defiled a 12-year-old girl at Abuakwa in the Atwima-Nwabiagya South Municipality, has been remanded into prison custody by the Nkawie Circuit Court.

Peter Nyame, a close friend of the victim's family, is said to have defiled the girl on four different occasions at Abuakwa.

His plea of not guilty was not accepted by the court and has been asked to reappear before the court presided by Mr Johnson Abbey on January 04, 2021.

Detective Sergeant Francis Opoku told the court that the victim and her parents reside at Abuakwa where the suspect also resides.

He said the suspect who claimed to be a pastor of the Assemblies of God church often visited the home of the victim and her family.

Sergeant Opoku said some time in November this year, the suspect visited the family and met the absence of the parents, took advantage of the situation to have sexual intercourse with the victim in one of the rooms in the house.

He said when the victim told the mother on her return, she did not believe it and so did not take any action.

The prosecution said the suspect continued the act on several occasions but whenever the victim informed members of her family, they did not believe her.

Sergeant Opoku said on one of those occasions, the suspect asked the victim to come for some pawpaws from his house to give to her mother but the victim stayed longer than usual.

According to the prosecution, this prompted the mother to send her seven-year-old son to go and call her when the young boy caught the two having sexual intercourse in the suspect’s room.

Mr Opoku said the young boy informed his senior brother but he also did not believe him.

The prosecution said on another occasion, the suspect again had sexual intercourse with the victim but this time around, the severe pains compelled the victim to disclose her ordeal to his senior brother, who in turn informed their father.

The father made a report to the Abuakwa Police who arrested the suspect and charged him with the offence after investigations.