Thursday, November 22, 2007

No bail for alleged British paedophile

November 3, 2007 (Page 3)

Story: Mabel Aku Baneseh

THE Accra Circuit Court yesterday refused to grant bail to the 57-year-old British national who allegedly abused the hospitality accorded him by his Ghanaian host and indecently assaulted his host’s three-year-old daughter.
Thomas Alan Tichler, a consultant, who was alleged to have inserted his fingers into the victim’s private parts, resulting in the girl bleeding profusely, was accordingly remanded in custody to reappear on November 9, 2007.
The court also refused an application from his counsel, Mr Ellis Owusu Fordjour, which prayed the court to order the police to hand over the passport of Tichler, which contained security features to the British High Commission for safekeeping.
Counsel said that the case had received bad publicity and it would be in the interest of the accused person if the case was started immediately.
He denied an assertion by the prosecution that the accused person did not have a fixed place of abode.
Mr Fordjour prayed the court to order the prosecution to give a copy of the medical report on the victim to the defence for scrutiny but the court refused to grant that request.
Tichler, who was alleged to have committed the offence at the residence of the victim on October 13, 2007 barely a week after he had arrived in the country for a three-month attachment, pleaded not guilty to the charges of causing harm and indecent assault.
Prosecuting, a Senior State Attorney, Ms Barbara Sackey, said Tichler visited the victim’s father at North Legon, near Redco Flats, on October 13, 2007 and on reaching there, the victim’s father left the victim and her two siblings in the care of Tichler in order to purchase some items from town.
Tichler engaged the victim and her two siblings, aged eight and six, at the sitting room but later managed to engage the victim alone and succeeded in inserting his fingers into her vagina.
Not quiet long after the incident, the victim’s mother arrived from town and just as she entered the kitchen, Tichler followed her and requested for water to wash his hands.
Later, the victim went to her mother and said she wanted to urinate and while helping her, the mother noticed that the victim’s panties had blood stains in them.
The victim mentioned the accused person as the one who inserted his fingers into her vagina when she was questioned by her mother.
Tichler was arrested and handed over to the Legon police.
The victim was later taken to hospital where she was examined, treated and discharged.
Ms Sackey prayed the court to give the prosecution a week to start the trial.
She also implored the court to remand Tichler because he did not have a fixed place of abode.
In reply to submissions from counsel for the accused person, Ms Sackey said the prosecution did not have the final medical report.
On the request for the release of the passport, Ms Sackey said the passport was with the police and it could only be released to the British High Commission after the trial.

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