Ghanaian man jailed for 15 years for having sex with imbecile

A Ghanaian man, who could not control his libido in what he thought was a consensual sexual intercourse with a 33-year-old lady at Tema, has found himself at the wrong side of the law. Twenty seven-year-old Shine Agbeka will spend the next 15 years in prison for allegedly sleeping with the lady said to be an imbecile.

This is the second time this kind of case has come to the attention of the Tema police in just a year. Last year another Tema-based resident was prosecuted for having sex with a lady also said to be an imbecile.



The Tema Police PRO Chief Inspector Olivier Turkson said it is illegal for anyone to have sex with an “idiot or imbecile” whether consensual or not. “Our laws say that a person who has carnal knowledge of an idiot or an imbecile or a mental patient under the care of a mental hospital whether with or without the consent of that person, the accused person would be held liable.”

People who are not mentally sound can have sex, she said, explaining: “But you have sex the right way. If you feel the person has a mental defect, and you are in love with the person, what stops you from getting closer to the family members? At least alert them that you want to go out with that person.”