Three men are jailed 73 years each for raping and robbing four British schoolgirls and their teacher at gunpoint during trip to Ghana
- The rapes and robberies happened in a guesthouse soon after the UK schoolchildren and their teachers arrived on the foreign trip to Ghana
- The case has been shrouded in secrecy to protect identities of British nationals
Three man have been jailed for 73 years each for raping and robbing four British schoolgirls and their teacher at gunpoint during a trip to Ghana.
The case, which was deliberately shrouded in secrecy to protect the British children from being identified, ended on Thursday with a statement which even banned the naming of the UK police force involved in case it led to identification of the victims.
The rapes and robberies happened soon after the UK schoolchildren and their teachers arrived on the foreign trip to Ghana. They were in their accommodation when the gang of rapists armed with guns burst into the building.
Local media reported that the school group consisted of six male students, four female students, and two teachers – one male and one female.
The three attackers were named as Ghanaian national Ishmael Akyene, 34, Nigerian national Daniel Akpan, 29, and Nigerian national Edem Asuquo, 33.
A school trip to Ghana which ended with some of the girls being raped, boys held at gunpoint and all having their possessions stolen, has resulted in three Ghanians being jailed for 73 years each. The three men pleaded guilty in Accra (pictured, file photo)
They all admitted to 32 offences, the Ghanaian police said in a statement. Charges include conspiracy, robbery, rape and illegal possession of firearms.
In the statement following the sentencing in Ghana, police said: ‘Three men have been convicted and sentenced following an investigation by police in Ghana, which has been supported by a UK police force.
‘All three men have been sentenced to 73 years imprisonment each. 23 years for firearms offences, 25 years for robbery offences and 23 years for rape. All of the men will serve their sentences concurrently,’ the statement said. This means that the men will serve the highest of the three punishments, which is 25 years.
‘All three men pleaded guilty at a court hearing in Accra in Ghana,’ the police said.
‘The convictions are in connection with an incident, which occurred in December, 2018 in which a group of pupils and teachers from a UK school travelled to Ghana. The school or area where they were from cannot be named for legal reasons.
‘Shortly after their arrival, a number of armed men entered the accommodation where the group was staying. The group were held at gunpoint, and the female victims were subjected to serious sexual assaults,’ the police said.
Ghana Web also reported that one of the teachers was also raped.
The prosecution said the men were in the guesthouse for about three hours, during which time they attacked the British nationals and stole their belongings. The gang left the property at about 4am with the stolen items.
‘The male victims were assaulted and held at gunpoint. Their possessions were also stolen from them before the offenders left the site,’ police said.
The court ordered the guilty men to serve their sentences in hard labour. A vehicle was also confiscated from them, as well as other possessions used in the attack.
The case, which was deliberately shrouded in secrecy to protect the British children from being identified, ended on Thursday with a statement which even banned the naming of the UK police force involved in case it led to identification of the victims. Pictured: Accra (file)
The vehicle was used to track two of the men down, as police were able to track a stolen debit card and connect it to two men seen leaving the Green Kia Rio.
Prosecutors said the men had made the victims disclose their PIN codes to their bank accounts, as well as passwords to one of their phones.
Police arrested one suspect first, who led them to the second. The arrested pair then led police to the house of the third, by he managed to escape through the roof of his house and fled to Nigeria. He was later extradited from Nigeria to stand trial.
The victims continue to be supported by specially trained police officers, and other agencies. Ghana Web reported that items and stolen money were returned.
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