An Adentan Circuit Court has ordered the arrest of Ferguson Manu Tuckson, a 31-year-old Electric Welder for failing to appear before it.

Tuckson was expected to open his defence in a defilement case on Wednesday but failed to turn up.

The prosecution, led by Chief Superintendent of Police Patience Mario prayed to the court for a bench warrant to enable the Police to arrest Tuckson

The court presided over by Mrs Sedinam Awo Kwadam granted the prosecution’s prayer and adjourned the matter to July 25, 2024.

It directed the prosecution to commence forfeiture proceedings against his sureties, meaning the sureties would have to cough out the bail sum of GHC300,000.

Tuckson, charged with defilement, pleaded not guilty.

The court admitted him to bail in the sum of GHC 300,000 with three sureties, one to be justified.

It also ordered him to report to the case investigator every Wednesday.

The prosecution had called several witnesses to make its case and Tuckson ordered to open his defence.

When the matter was called, Tuckson was absent.

The prosecution’s case was that the complainant was a herbalist residing at Nanakrom, near Ashaley Botwe in Accra.

The prosecution said the victim aged 12, was a pupil and a daughter of the complainant.

The court heard that Tuckson resided in the same house as the complainant, as a tenant.

The prosecutor said the victim sometimes entered the accused person’s room to watch television and the complainant often returned home late because of her job.

During the later part of July 2021, the prosecution said Tuckson took advantage of the complainant’s absence, lured the victim into his room and had sex with her allegedly.

It said Tuckson warned the victim to keep the incident to herself else he would kill her allegedly.

On January 4, 2022, the prosecution said at about 8:00pm, while the complainant was away, Tuckson called the victim into his room, and attempted to have sex with her again but she resisted and left the room.

The victim reported the incident to the complainant and on January 11, 2022, Tuckson was arrested, and a medical form was issued to the complainant to send the victim to a hospital.

“Per the medical result, the victim was said to have a vagina tear at the 7 o’clock regions, indicating a frequent vagina penetration,” the prosecution said.