William Von, a 20-year-old trader, was, on Wednesday, arraigned at the Asamankese Circuit Court charged with defiling a 13-year-old primary school girl.
Von pleaded not guilty and the court, presided by Mr Emmanuel Siameh, remanded him in prison custody till June 28.
Presenting the facts of the case, Police Chief Inspector Kate Ogyiri, said the accused and the victim both resided at Anum-Asamankese.
He said on June 6, at about 2100 hours, the girl, in the company of two friends, was going to buy some cooked rice.
On reaching a spot, her friends asked the girl to wait for them as they went ahead to make the purchase.
The prosecutor said Von, who lived in that vicinity, on seeing the victim alone lured her into a friend's room where he forcibly had sex with her.
On June 9, the girl reported her ordeal to her father who took her to the Police Station to make a report.
A Police medical form was, subsequently, issued to the father to take her to the hospital for examination.
The accused was arrested on June 10, and in a caution statement, he denied defiling the girl.
The prosecutor said the Police were still investigating the case and the girl's father had been asked to produce her birth certificate.
When the Judge asked the accused if he knew the girl who was in court, he replied in the negative but when the girl was asked if he knew the
accused, she said "yes."
The Judge then said since the accused had pleaded not guilty the court had to go into the merits of the case.
He then remanded the accused in prison custody to re-appear on June 28.