Wa High Court Jails Tricycle Rider 14 Years for Defiling Three-Year-Old

The Wa High Court has sentenced a 29-year-old commercial tricycle rider to 14 years’ imprisonment with hard labour for defiling a three-year-old girl he had been hired to take to and from school, according to Graphic Online and GBC.

The convict, Naah Mashood, was found guilty after a full trial, and sentence was passed on Friday, October 30, 2026. The Upper West Regional Police Command announced the outcome this week.

According to the police, the child’s parents had engaged Mashood to transport her between home and school on his tricycle. On February 23, 2026, he took her to an isolated spot within the Wa Municipality and assaulted her inside the vehicle, the police said.

The girl’s mother reported the matter, and officers of the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) arrested Mashood the following day. He was first arraigned before the Wa District Magistrate Court before the case was committed to the High Court for trial.

In its statement, the Upper West Regional Police Command commended the officers who investigated and prosecuted the case. It urged parents and guardians to keep a close eye on their children, including when arranging transport to school, and asked the public to report suspected child abuse to the nearest police station or DOVVSU office.

Under Ghana’s Criminal Offences Act, defilement — sexual intercourse with a child under 16 — carries a sentence of between seven and 25 years’ imprisonment.

TheSavannaOnline is not publishing any details that could identify the child.

Source: Graphic Online — https://www.graphic.com.gh/news/general-news/wa-high-court-jails-tricycle-rider-14-years-for-defiling-3-year-old-girl-he-was-hired-to-take-to-school.html; GBC — https://www.gbcghanaonline.com/news/wa-high-court-jails-29-year-old-tricycle-rider-14-years-for-defiling-toddlerosei-tutu-esther-kumah/2026/