The Tamale High Court has sentenced 48-year-old Abdallah Mohammed to 15 years’ imprisonment with hard labour after finding him guilty of defiling a 14-year-old girl.

The court, presided over by Charles Kwesi Acheampong, also imposed an additional six-month jail term for perjury after determining that the convict lied under oath during cross-examination.

A key issue during the trial was the age of the victim. While prosecutors maintained that the complainant was 14 years old, Mohammed insisted she was 18, arguing that her physical appearance and conversations with him led him to believe she was an adult.

The defence also challenged a birth certificate tendered by the prosecution, presenting a report from the Births and Deaths Registry indicating that the document could not be traced in its records.

However, the court considered the testimony of the victim and her guardian, as well as evidence from earlier Circuit Court proceedings.

Justice Acheampong concluded that the prosecution had proved beyond a reasonable doubt that the complainant was 14 years old at the time of the offence and accordingly convicted Mohammed of defilement.

The court, however, acquitted him on a separate abortion charge, ruling that the prosecution had failed to establish that he induced the victim to terminate a pregnancy.