The Kwabenya Circuit Court has sentenced a 58-year-old mason, Joshua Bledi, to 10 years in prison for incest after impregnating his 17-year-old daughter, who has since given birth to a seven-month-old baby, according to the Ghana News Agency. Bledi pleaded guilty to the charge, admitting that the prosecution’s account was accurate, and appealed for leniency. The court, however, convicted and sentenced him, taking into account his age, the premeditated nature of the crime, and the fact that he did not waste the court’s time by admitting guilt. The prosecutor, Chief Inspector Gershon Togbe Achondo, described the offence as a cultural abomination and noted that such cases have been increasing in recent times. He urged the court to impose a stiff sentence to serve as a deterrent to others. The prosecution revealed that the victim, a hairdressing apprentice from Musuku, Kwabenya, lived with her father after her mother instructed her to do so. She later became pregnant and went to the Ga East Hospital to deliver but faced challenges in paying her medical bills. The Social Welfare Department at the hospital intervened and waived her bills. During enquiries, the victim disclosed that her father was responsible for her pregnancy and had been sexually abusing her repeatedly. A report was filed with the Kwabenya Domestic Violence and Victims’ Support Unit (DOVVSU), and a police medical examination confirmed the abuse, leading to Bledi’s arrest. Meanwhile, the Abuse Relief Corps, a non-profit organisation, has stepped in to support the victim and her baby. ## What does the law say?

Under Ghanaian law, incest is explicitly criminalised under Section 105 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29): A male aged 16 or over who has sexual intercourse with a female he knows to be his daughter, granddaughter, sister, mother, or grandmother, or a female aged 16 or over with a similarly close male relative, commits an offence. Violators face imprisonment ranging from 3 to 25 years upon summary conviction.