Court decides fate of Onetouch Jan 20

Wednesday, December 15, 2010 (Page 3)

THE Accra Circuit Court will, on January 20, 2011, decide the guilt or otherwise of the Founder and General Overseer of the Jesus Blood Prophetic Ministry, Prophet Nana Kofi Yirenkyi, aka Prophet Onetouch, who has been accused of defiling his daughter.
The court, presided over by Mrs Georgina Mensah-Datsa, fixed the date after lead counsel for the accused person, Mr K. N. Adomako Acheampong, had announced that the defence team had closed its case.
Mr Acheampong made the announcement after a Chief State Attorney, Ms Helen Kwawukume, had cross-examined the Station Officer at the Akropong Police Station, Inspector Mohammed Ali Balah, who had, in his evidence, said on March 2, 2010, the complainant, Madam Bernice Owiredua Asamaa, the victim and her aunt had come to the Akropong-Akwapim Divisional Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) to lodge a complaint about the alleged incest.
After announcing to the court that the defence had closed its case, Mr Acheampong said the defence would file its written address on December 24, 2010.
Ms Kwawukume, for her part, said she would file her response to the defence’s address on January 13, 2011.
After the parties had agreed on the dates, the trial judge then fixed January 20, 2011 as the date for judgement in the trial which has lasted nearly 11 months.
Prophet Onetouch has pleaded not guilty to one count of incest and rather accused a former watchman of his of defiling the victim.
He has since been refused bail by the circuit court.
In his evidence-in-chief, Inspector Balah said he was on duty when the complainant made the complaint and as a result he had come to Accra to arrest the accused but did not find him. However, the Odorkor Police Command agreed to arrest him.
Inspector Balah said on March 4, 2010, he sent the accused to the Akropong-Akwapim Police Station, where there was a meeting among the accused, the complainant, himself (Inspector Balah), the Akropong Divisional Commander of Police, Mina Ayim, and others.
He said at the meeting, the complainant told DCOP Ayim that the victim had told her aunt that the accused had been defiling her for the past two years, but the accused person denied and said it was one Efo who had confessed to him (accused) that he had inserted his fingers into victim’s vagina, for which reason the accused called the complainant to inform her and asked her to question the victim about it.
According to Inspector Balah, when DCOP Ayim enquired from the complainant about the truth in what the accused had said, she (complainant) admitted that it was true.
After the meeting, the accused was sent back to the Mampong-Akwapim Police Station cells.
Answering questions under cross-examination from Ms Kwawukume, the witness said he had assisted to build the docket on the case.
He said he had been subpoenaed to testify in the case and explained that he chose to be an independent witness to the accused person on the grounds that there had been nobody around to be an independent witness when he was taking statements from the accused person.