The Tarkwa Circuit Court has sentenced a 47-year-old man to 10 years in prison with hard labour for assaulting his 13-year-old daughter.

John Ansah, the biological father of the victim, pleaded guilty to charges of causing harm, indecent assault, and female genital mutilation.

Police Superintendent Juliana Essel-Dadzie stated that the complainant, a supervisor at Ghana Rubber Estates Limited (GREL) and resident of Agona Nkwanta, while Ansah worked as a charcoal producer.

Ansah, a single parent, lived with his children, including the victim, at Kwapong within the GREL plantation.

The court heard that Ansah had been abusing the victim, accusing her of having sexual relations with men. On Sunday, March 24, 2024, at about 20:00 hours, Ansah tied the victim's legs and hands with a rope in their bamboo house.

He then heated two cutlasses in a fire and pushed them into the victim's vagina in turns, causing severe burns around her vagina and thighs.

Despite the victim's cries for help, Ansah continued torturing her until she became weak. He left her tied up with the rope until the next day when she managed to free herself. Ansah then began monitoring her, fearing she might expose him.

The court, presided over by Hathia Ama Manu, sentenced Ansah to 10 years in prison with hard labor, condemning his heinous acts of abuse and violence against his own daughter.