63-year old disabled defiles girl of seven.

Publication was based on newspaper sources, Quarcoo editor tells court

Eight persons charged with threatening police

Goaso (Brong Ahafo), 30^th April ‘99 –

A 63-year-old disabled person who defiled a seven-year-old class one pupil of Dadiesoaba in the Asutifi district was on Thursday convicted by a community tribunal at Goaso in the Brong Ahafo region.

Kwame Afuako, who told the court that he has 10 children and six grand children, pleaded guilty to defilement.

The Chairman of the tribunal, Mr Willywise Kyeremeh, described the accused as ''a wicked criminal who should be kept away from society for a long period without any sympathy."

Mr Kyeremeh remanded the accused in police custody and referred him to the Goaso High court for sentencing.

Police Inspector Bawa Adam told the tribunal that on April 20, this year, the accused invited the victim at Nyame Ndae village, near Dadiesoaba in the Asutifi district, to cook some plantain for him.

Inspector Adam said the little girl obliged and after cooking the food, the accused asked her to carry it into his room.

The accused followed the girl into the room, defiled her and warned her not to tell anyone about their affair.

The girl's mother detected bloodstains in the child's dress and when questioned, she told her what happened.

GRi../

Accra (Greater Accra), 30^th April ’99 -

Eben Quarcoo, former editor of the "Free Press", on Thursday told a circuit court in Accra that the article he wrote about the first lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, the subject matter of a libel charge against him, was based on sources from three newspapers in the country.

Quarcoo said this when he was being cross-examined by Mr Martin Amidu, Deputy Attorney-General, in a case in which he is accused of publishing in the 'Free Press' in October 1994 that Nana Konadu took gold and narcotic drugs outside the country on unannounced trips abroad.

He has pleaded not guilty and is on a 10 million-cedi bail

When it was pointed out to him that he was fond of writing articles about the complainant and her husband based on allegations and sources, such as newspaper publications, the accused replied that his stories were not based on allegations.

However, during further questioning, he admitted having previously published certain things about the first lady and president based on allegations but could not remember the number of times.

Quarcoo said it is normal journalistic practice to publish articles based on allegations.

The accused said the issue the article talked about was a "general" one about unnamed persons in the ruling party's "money-making machinery".

When he was asked further why two names - Nana Konadu and President Jerry John Rawlings - were mentioned in the publication, Quarcoo replied: "They are the people who make news".

Mr Amidu ended his cross-examination, and the court presided over by Mr Victor Ofoe adjourned the case to May 28 to enable Quarcoo to call his witnesses.

GRi…/.

Accra (Greater Accra), 30^th April ’99 –

Eight persons who threatened policemen and a land owner at Teshie on Wednesday appeared before a circuit tribunal charged with threat of death.

The accused persons from Teshie pleaded not guilty to three counts of conspiracy, assault and threat of death. They were each granted two million cedis bail to appear again on May 12.

They are Adjei Godwin, a plumber, Mogya Sowah, Ashidan Aarmaatey, Nortey Neakpe and Eric Armah, all carpenters, Adjei Issah, a mason, Amartey Archer, a fisherman, and James Nai, a welder.

The prosecution said on April 15, this year, Adjei, Sowah and Issah were put before the Osu community tribunal charged with threatening the life of Mr Eric Adjei Klu, a driver, who owns a piece of land at Okpoi Gonno, near Teshie.

On April 17, this year, Mr Klu had information that the three persons and others were firing guns into the air on his land where he had earlier been threatened and reported the matter to the Police Panther Unit which despatched policemen to accompany him to the site.

On their way, the policemen came across a bus on which were the accused. The policemen stopped the vehicle and ordered the driver to the Nungua Police station but he refused and instead drove to Teshie where he abandoned the bus and run away.

The accused persons, who were armed with cutlasses, locally-made pistols and sticks, got down from the vehicle, pounced on the complainant, brutally assaulted him and destroyed his vehicle in the presence of the policemen.

The prosecution said the accused persons then threatened the policemen, saying: "If you dare arrest anybody, we will kill you in the same manner as the two policemen were killed at Ablekuma".

The policemen, sensing danger, retreated with the complainant and reported the matter to Nungua Police who arrested the accused persons.

GRi../