The four teenage boys arrested in connection with the alleged sexual assault of a young lady at Bantama in the Ashanti Region, have been remanded into juvenile cells.
They are to re-appear on 10th January 2018. A recording of the act went viral on social media, prompting public uproar and subsequent action by the police.
[contextly_sidebar id=”QNXhVHj6fNXCOOXgZ201JKIprFL5XTPI”]Relatives of the suspects trooped to the Asokwa District Court today [Wednesday] to witness proceedings.
Three other suspects are reportedly on the run, after one reported himself to the police bringing the arrested suspects to four.
Speaking to journalists after today’s [Wednesday] hearing, Lawyer for the accused persons, John Boamah, emphasized the need for patience to be exercised in prosecuting the suspects, saying“We need not be in a rush for the matter to be prosecuted. What the prosecution is saying is that there is the need for further investigations to be done. Just last week we had information that one of the juveniles has been arrested. It means more work has to be done and on the basis of that and in the wisdom of the court, the juveniles are in the legal custody in the sense that they have been remanded into juvenile cells where parents have the right to visit them.”
“ The first time they came was not a period for the juvenile court to sit so the Police had to send them back to the police cells, so in the legal sense, the way the attention is being given will never help matters. Now as it stands, so many legal issues and factual issues are yet to be determined, matters relating to juveniles. The age is of essence as to whether or not Police have been able to determine the ages is very important. We need to exercise a bit of patience.”
The three boys were arrested after a video, which allegedly showed them and four others, sexually assaulting a girl, went viral, and was met with widespread criticism from the Ghanaian public.
The Police in confirming the arrest of the first three suspects, revealed that they were Junior High School and Senior High School students, but refused to reveal their ages.
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By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana