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A High Court in Ghana has acquitted and discharged Rabih Haddad, a Lebanese accused of raping his 19-year-old house help, local media reported.
Haddad was set free by the court on Friday after a seven-member jury returned a not guilty verdict, local site, the Graphic online reported.
Prior to the verdict, the presiding Judge, Justice George Boadi, in his summary to advice the jury held that the witnesses presented by the prosecution did not corroborate the story of the house help.
Background
The facts as narrated by the Prosecution were that the victim, a 19-year-old Togolese, was engaged as a domestic house help in November 2017 at the residence of Haddad who resides at Airport Hills, Accra.
The Prosecution said ever since the alleged victim moved to the house the accused had persistently harassed her and insisted on having sexual intercourse with her anytime other occupants of the house, including Haddad’s wife, were out of the premises.
The Prosecution said in the afternoon of November 30, 2017, Haddad lured the victim into one of the rooms upstairs in the house and had sex with her.
It said the victim reported the incident to a co-worker in the house but they both kept the incident to themselves for the fear of losing their jobs.
On December 2, 2017 between 4pm and 5pm when Haddad’s wife and kids had gone out, Haddad reportedly requested for coffee from the alleged victim.
She then proceeded to the kitchen to prepare the coffee when Haddad then approached her and demanded sex from her.
The Prosecution said the victim resisted and this infuriated Haddad, who slapped her on the face and held her neck and dragged her into the master bedroom.
According to the Prosecution, Haddad stripped her naked and had sex with her.
It said after the act, the accused warned her not to inform anyone and then took his bath and left the house in his car.
The Prosecution said the victim, for the second time, reported her ordeal to a co-worker, who in turn passed the information to a Police Officer on duty nearby.
The matter was, therefore, reported to the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) at the Airport, upon which Haddad was arrested.
Source: Daily Mail GH with additional files from Graphiconline
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