First prosecution witness testifies in Wa defilement trial

Dr Mubarik Alhassan, a prosecution witness in the case of defilement against one Ahmed Rashid, alias Anaata, Tuesday appeared before the Wa Circuit Court to testify. 

Dr. Alhassan, a medical doctor at the Wa Municipal Hospital who conducted medical examination on the survivors of the alleged defilement, testified on two dockets out of four dockets that had been built on the case.  

He is expected to reappear in court on Wednesday, August 23 to testify on the remaining two dockets. 

In his testimony, the prosecution witness said the examination of the survivors revealed that their hymens had been broken. 

He, however, told the court, presided over by His Honour, Jonathan Avogo, that per his examination, there were no semen or bruises found in the survivors’ vaginas. 

He indicated that one survivor said her last sexual encounter with a man was on May 20, 2023 while the examination was conducted on May 26, 2023.  

Mr Saeed Abdul Shakur, a Principal State Attorney in the Upper West Region, told the media after a court hearing on Tuesday that five different dockets were initially built on the case, but the prosecution later merged two dockets making four.  

He expressed confidence that the State would win the case against the accused.  

“On the part of the Republic, we believe that our case is strong, we have a solid case,” Mr Shakur said. 

Mr Shakur told the court that the investigator in the case, who is also expected to be in court on Tuesday, had travelled out of town for a funeral. 

He, however, said the investigator would appear in court on Friday, August 25, 2023, to testify.  

Ahmed Rashid, a popular Master of Ceremony (MC) for Islamic weddings in Wa, aged about 35 years, was standing trial for about 20 counts of defilement, attempted defilement, and indecent assault which he had denied in court. 

The suspected serial paedophile was alleged to have defiled about 30 girls in Wa aged between 12 and 15 years. 

Nine of the alleged defilement victims have testified in the case.  

Source: GNA