DRIVER, OTHERS GANG BANG WOMAN (PAGE 23, MIRROR)

From: George Ernest Asare, Kumasi

Call it divine intervention, but when a victim of a gang rape left home barely 24 hours after the incident to report to the police, little did she know that she would come face-to-face with the taxi used to transport her to the venue of her ordeal.
The victim, despite the tortuous act, managed to memorise the registration number of the vehicle and so raised an alarm when she saw it, causing sympathisers to arrest the driver.
Moments after the driver was arrested, he also led the police to arrest 22-year-old Ofori Atta who, together with two accomplices, robbed the victim of her money, mobile phone and jewellery at gunpoint before raping her in turns.
Ofori, a taxi driver, pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy to rob, robbing and rape, when he was arraigned before a Kumasi High Court presided over by Justice R.C. Azumah.
He has been remanded in prison custody to reappear before the court on April 20, 2009.
His accomplices are, however, unknown because Ofori has refused to disclose their identity to the police.
Briefing the court, a Senior State Attorney, Mr Ernest Offei Aye, said at about 9:30 p.m on March 21, 2009, the victim, a Kumasi-based businesswoman, while returning from a funeral, picked Ofori’s KIA Pride taxi and joined a male occupant at the back seat.
He said soon after the taxi had taken off, the driver stopped to pick another male passenger who sat beside the victim at the back seat.
The Senior State Attorney said moments after the other occupant joined them, he forcibly blindfolded the victim at gunpoint after which they took her GH¢12.00, a mobile phone valued at GH¢120.00, a half piece of cloth valued at GH¢60.00 and jewellery valued at GH¢300.00.
Mr Aye said after driving for some time, Ofori stopped the taxi and dragged the victim out and undressed her. They then sexually abused her in turns for some time before dumping her by the roadside.
He said they left her stark naked as they took away her clothes, money, phone, half piece of cloth and jewellery.
He said the victim managed to stagger to a residential area where a sympathiser gave her a dress to wear and GH¢2.00 for transport home.
The State Prosecutor said it was when she was on her way to the police station at Patase to report her ordeal that she spotted the taxi used for the operation and raised an alarm, leading to the arrest of the suspect.