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A 51-year-old Waste Collector, who sexually assaulted a six-year-old girl, has been sentenced to three years imprisonment in hard labour by an Accra Circuit Court.

Daniel Martey Commodore Okine charged with indecent assault, pleaded guilty, and asked the court presided by Mrs Christina Cann, to deal leniently with him and that it was the first time he had committed such an offence.

According to Okine, his wife has passed on and he had no one to support him.

The judge before passing sentence on Okine, said the court considered his plea, the fact that he was advanced in age and had also shown remorse over his conduct.

However, the court stated that in order to preserve the sanctity of girls, it would still go ahead and hand down a stiffer punishment to serve as deterrent to others.

Detective Sergeant Opoku Aniagyei said the complainant is a trader and mother of the victim and that the complainant lives at Chorkor, Accra, while accused resides in the same vicinity.

Sgt Aniagyei said Okine spotted the victim who was on her way to buy toffees in the area.

Prosecution said Okine took advantage of the situation and lured the victim to a spot close to a bath house, and inserted his finger into the victim’s vagina, and gave the victim GHC1.00.

The prosecution said Okine told the victim not to inform any one.

He said that, when the complainant was bathing the victim, she exhibited signs of pain in her vagina, and when the complainant ascertained what had gone wrong, the victim narrated her ordeal to her.

Prosecution said the complainant reported the matter to the police at Mamprobi, in Accra, where she was given a police medical report form to seek medical examination for the victim.

Prosecution said the victim spotted Okine in the area and he was arrested and escorted to the Mamprobi Police where he was detained.

The prosecution said “accused admitted the offence in his cautioned statement”.