HURCH ELDER COMMITS INCEST (LEAD STORY, MIRROR, JUNE 5, 2010)

From Joe Okyere, Cape Coast

“I have resolved to bear responsibility for the incest case against my daughter. I am really sorry for any inconvenience my action might have caused my dear wife, family, daughter and my only son on earth.
“I regret my action and plead to God to forgive me. I am also ready to perform the required customary rites to my wife and my family to appease the gods of our land”.
These were the lamentations of a presiding elder of the New Apostlic Church at Twifo Mampoma, David Hayford Akuoko, 61, who doubles as a Farm Manager of the Essilfie Farms Limited at Twifo Mampoma in the Twifo-Hemang-Lower Denkyira District of the Central Region.
However, a Cape Coast Circuit Court, presided over by Mr Justice Beresford Acquah, dished out a seven-year jail term to him last Thursday.
When he appeared before the court two weeks ago, Akuoko pleaded guilty and was remanded in prison custody.
According to the prosecutor, Inspector Daniel Agbezuhlor, the accused on December 31, 2009 took advantage of the absence of his wife and had sex with his daughter.
Inspector Agbezuhlor said the victim returned from an all night and met the father performing some rituals in their hall.
He said after the rituals, the convict smeared some perfume on the body of the victim and dragged her to their bedroom and slept with her.
He said after the act, the convict warned the victim not to disclose the incident to anybody else she would die.
Inspector Agbezuhlor said on January 1 , this year, the convict and the daughter travelled to Accra to meet a relative from the United States and whilst in Accra, the convict again slept with her.
He said, thereafter, the accused made another attempt to sleep with the daughter and when she resisted, the convict gave her GH¢30 to convince her but she kept the money and when the mother returned from her journey, she informed her and showed the money to her.
He said when the victim’s mother and his son confronted Akuoko, he took offence and threatened his son with a cutlass but he managed to escape.
He said a report was made to the police and the convict was arrested.