Ernest Ocloo, a 34-year-old mathematics instructor at Sawla Senior High School in the Savannah Region, was condemned by a Tamale High Court to 15 years in prison with hard labor for raping a student at the school.
The defendant entered a not guilty plea.
“On November 12, 2019, the complainant was in their dormitory when the suspect dispatched one of the female students to call her to see him in their staff common room,” according to the police fact sheet. The complainant complied, and when she arrived on the staff common roof, the suspect invited her to join him in a sofa for some chat. The suspect then offered her yoghurt and shito, which she turned down.
The suspect then began making sexual moves toward her, but she rejected. As she began to walk out, the suspect locked the door behind her, grabbed her, threw her to the ground, and forced sexual intercourse with her. The plaintiff began to experience gastrointestinal aches after the deed. The suspect then summoned the complainant’s mother from school. The complainant was taken to their dormitory by the school mother and another witness, but she became unconscious and was brought to Sawla polyclinic, where she was treated and discharged. The incident was reported to authorities, and the culprit was detained as a result.”
He was later charged with rape and arraigned at Sawla district court.
During the trial, however, the accused pleaded not guilty to the crime.
The defendant had already admitted to the offense in his own written investigative caution statement, according to Principal State Attorney Salia Abdul-Quddus.
The case, which had been in the works for more than three years, was finally determined on Tuesday, May 17 by a seven-member jury, which issued a unanimous guilty decision.
The punishment was handed down based on evidence presented to the court.
Meanwhile, in February 2020, the Ghana Education Service issued a letter signed by the Director-General, Professor Kwasi Opoku-Amankwa, terminating the appointment of Ernest Ocloo, a teacher, for sexual misconduct with numerous female students at the institution, an offense to which he admitted.
“Mr. Ernest Ocloo has a pattern of sexually harassing female pupils at school.” According to my recent practice and precedent, such misconduct is punishable by termination of appointment. Management, therefore, I recommend that Mr. Ernest Ocloo’s appointment be terminated in accordance with section 63(iii)(b)(vi) page 86 of the Ghana Education Service’s code of conduct for teachers and other workers.”
Hafsatu Sey Sumani, the Head of Programmes and Policy at Norsaac, a civil society organization in the Northern area, told Citi News that they are pleased with the conclusion of the proceedings and hope that it would dissuade others from indulging in similar activities.
She raised concern, however, about the high number of rape incidents in the region, the most of which go unreported.
“As a community, we must speak up when we suspect someone is committing a crime; we must not wait for someone to become a victim.” It’s happening practically everywhere; the only difference is that no one is reporting it,” she continued.
She also urged the Ghana Education Service to improve its systems in order to reduce some of these offenses.
