A 32-year-old teacher has been sentenced to 12 years in prison by the Odumase-Krobo Circuit Court for defiling his 12-year-old pupil.
Hondana Mensah was convicted of defilement contrary to Section 101(2) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29), as amended by Section 18 of Act 554.
Presiding Judge Kwasi Appiatse Abaidoo handed down the sentence after the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt. The court described the punishment as a deterrent to sexual offences against children and other vulnerable persons.
Chief Inspector Godsway Kromoah, who led the prosecution, told the court that the victim’s mother, a 43-year-old businesswoman residing at Combine, a suburb of Akosombo, had engaged Mensah to provide private French lessons for her daughter, a Class Six pupil.
The arrangement lasted about four years until the incident came to light.
According to the prosecution, on July 11, 2026, the mother noticed changes in her daughter’s manner of walking and became suspicious. Upon questioning, the girl revealed that her class teacher had sexually abused her on July 8, 2026, around 5:00 pm, during a lesson at their family residence.
The court heard that Mensah allegedly warned the victim not to disclose the incident, claiming it would bring shame to her, and threatened to fail her in his subject in the end-of-term examinations if she reported him.
The matter was reported to the police, leading to statements from both the mother and the victim. A medical examination at a government hospital, conducted after police issued a medical report form, produced findings consistent with sexual assault.
Mensah was arrested on July 12, 2026. In his cautioned statement to the police, he denied having sexual intercourse with the pupil.
He was subsequently charged with defilement and put before court for trial.