[ 2015-04-01 ]

A-G Frees Rape Suspect
Nicholas Mensah Woode, the 34-year-old
self-acclaimed medical doctor facing trial at the
Tema magistrate court for allegedly raping a
22-year-old student, has been acquitted and
discharged for lack of evidence.

He was freed following a directive issued from the
Attorney-General’s (A-G’s) department which
was presented by the court, presided over by Eric
Adjei, after a duplicate docket was sent to the
A-G for advice.

According to the A-G, the statement of the case as
given by the victim – a Central University
College (CUC) student – could not establish any
prima facie case against the accused person to be
further prosecuted and so ‘the sexual
intercourse that took place was based on the
consent of the victim.’

The A-G department further asked the court to
‘close the docket of the case for lack of
essential evidence’ without categorically
stating the action to be taken by the court
against Mensah Woode.

But the court, after carefully studying the
document issued, acquitted and discharged the
accused person.

On July 18, 2014, Mensah Woode, during
investigations into the rape case against him,
told the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit
(DOVVSU) at the Tema Regional Police Command that
he was a medical doctor at the Korle-Bu Teaching
Hospital in Accra.

Police investigations into the matter established
that the accused was not a medical doctor. He
works at Hamwood Company Limited – a
pharmaceutical company which supplies medical
apparatuses and drugs to health institutions and
schools.

The accused, who resides at Middle East, an
Ashaiman suburb of the Greater Accra Region, was
asked by the magistrate court to pay a fine of 40
penalty units (GH¢480) or in default, serve six
months in jail.

In addition, Woode has been ordered to sign a bond
to be of good behaviour for a year or in default,
go to jail for two years, after pleading guilty to
the impersonation charge.

It would be recalled that on July 14, 2014, Woode,
a supposed boyfriend of the victim, allegedly
lured the lady to his residence and forcibly had
sexual intercourse with her in the evening.

A medical report from the Tema General Hospital
revealed that the victim sustained injury on her
right thigh with discharge from her private part.
The hymen was also absent.

Source - Daily Guide

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