An 87-year-old man, Yaw Gahornu, has been sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment with hard labour for defiling a nine-year-old girl at Ofankor, a suburb of Accra, Ghana.
In a statement on Monday, Juliana Obeng, spokesperson for the Ghana Police Service, said the conviction followed repeated sexual abuse of the victim between July and August.
“Preliminary investigations indicate that on 29th August 2026, the complainant returned from work and noticed bloodstains on the clothing of her nine-year-old daughter,” she said.
Ms Obeng said the victim disclosed that Mr Gahornu had subjected her to repeated sexual abuse between July and August 2026, involving both vaginal and anal penetration.
According to the police, further investigation also revealed that Mr Gahornu lured the child to his sleeping quarters and threatened to kill her if she disclosed the alleged abuse to her mother.
“On 31st August 2026, the alleged abuse was reportedly witnessed by the accused’s granddaughter, who subsequently informed family members, including the complainant, and the matter was reported to the police,” she noted.
The police added that Mr Gahornu was charged and arraigned before the Gender-Based Violence Court at the DOVVSU headquarters, where he was found guilty and sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment in hard labour for defilement.