By Collins Sarkodieh 
A tragic case of child abuse in the Eastern Region has ended with a heavy prison sentence for the perpetrator. The Odumase Krobo Circuit Court has sentenced a thirty-six-year-old tricycle operator, Joseph Nyarko, to twenty years in prison with hard labor for defiling a twelve-year-old girl in Somanya.
The severe judicial ruling follows a complex medical and criminal investigation managed by state security agencies. The case has provoked heavy emotional distress across the municipality because the convict knowingly transmitted a chronic medical condition to the young victim.
The legal process gathered significant speed after the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) intervened in the matter. According to formal court records presented by state prosecutors, the young victim, who is now fourteen years old, officially tested positive for HIV during a mandatory police medical examination.
Further background checks conducted at the Somanya Polyclinic revealed that Joseph Nyarko was a registered HIV patient. Shockingly, the pragmatic rider had deliberately stopped taking his antiretroviral medications for a prolonged period while continuing to engage in unprotected encounters with unsuspecting individuals in the community.
The multi-layered criminal behavior came to light on May 29, 2026, when the victim’s sixty-eight-year-old father, Peter Adamtey, filed an emergency complaint with the police. The anxious father had rushed to an area called Adjikpo to rescue his daughter after receiving tips that a local youth named Derrick had abducted her.
Although the father did not find the abductor at the scene, he successfully brought his daughter to the DOVVSU offices for safety. During the subsequent counseling and interrogation sessions, the brave teenager opened up and confessed that Joseph Nyarko had forced her into unprotected encounters back in 2024.
While the primary suspect has received a twenty-year jail term after admitting to the crime in his cautioned statement, the police files remain heavily active. During deep interrogation sessions, the young girl revealed that her former primary school class teacher had also abused her position of trust to have unprotected encounters with her.
The Ghana Police Service has issued an emergency warning and launched a massive manhunt to locate the two remaining fugitives, the teacher and the abductor named Derrick. State prosecutors have assured the public that they will pursue every legal angle to arrest these runaways and bring them to face the full wrath of our national child protection laws.
Also Read: Police Inspector Interdicted Over Alleged Defilement Case of 14-year-old daughter