A 38-year-old scrap dealer, Haruna Ishaq, has been arraigned before the Akyem Swedru Circuit Court for allegedly defiling a 15-year-old student of St. Francis Senior High School and infecting her with HIV.
The case was heard by Mrs. Akosua Ataa Nyarko, who granted the accused bail in the sum of GH¢60,000 with three sureties to be justified. Ishaq pleaded not guilty to charges of abduction, defilement, and willful transmission of HIV.
He is scheduled to reappear before the court on October 23, 2025, for trial.
Before bail was granted, the accused had been remanded into police custody twice. The presiding judge initially considered a third remand, but defence lawyers Nana Asare-Djikunu and Richard Offin successfully argued for bail, citing their client’s deteriorating health and need for medical care.
According to the prosecution, the complainant — the victim’s mother — lives with her daughter at Oda New Lorry Park, where she sells iced kenkey and sobolo. The accused resides in the Oda CMB area.
On April 26, 2025, the complainant sent her daughter to sell drinks but the girl failed to return home. After three days of frantic searching by her friends and relatives, the accused, realizing the mother was looking for the girl, released her.
The complainant subsequently reported the incident to the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service at Oda on April 30, 2025.
During police interrogation, the victim disclosed that Ishaq had sexual intercourse with her several times while she was held in his custody.
The accused was later arrested and, in his caution statement, admitted to being in a romantic relationship with the girl and confessed to the acts of abduction and defilement.
A medical examination conducted at the Oda Government Hospital confirmed that the scrap dealer defiled the girl and was infected with HIV.
Despite his earlier confession, Ishaq pleaded not guilty when he appeared in court.
