Setsoafia Kudzu, 25, was due to reappear in court on Monday, July 1, 2024, after being granted bail by the Sogakope Circuit Court when he was first arraigned last month.

He was arrested by the police and charged with the offense of defilement of a child under 16 years, contrary to Section 101 of the Criminal Offenses Act 29/60 as amended by Act 554: Section 11.

However, the accused pleaded not guilty to the charge when he first appeared before the court.

The complainant in the case is the mother of a 10-year-old, class four pupil who spent several days admitted to the Sogakope District Hospital, having sustained severe injuries and infections in her genital area after the unfortunate ordeal with her alleged abuser.

The accused is a carpenter’s apprentice who lived in the same neighborhood as the victim at Toklokpo, a suburb of Sogakope in the Volta region.

But when the case was called in court on Monday, the accused person was not present, except for one of the sureties, Innocent Gbedzi, who informed the court that the accused person had been out of sight for a couple of days.

He told the court he had been looking for the accused for days to serve him copies of the disclosures made in relation to the case ahead of the hearing on Monday, to no avail.

The court also heard that the wife and children of the accused have not been seen in the community for some days now.

As a result, the prosecution, led by D/Insp. Nene Oman V, prayed the court to issue a bench warrant for the arrest of the accused.

The court, presided over by His Honor Joseph N. McAli Jr, granted the request from the prosecution and issued the bench warrant.

Meanwhile, the victim and her mother have been relocated to an undisclosed location by the police to ensure their safety, following some unwarranted attempts by some community women to frustrate them.