Bishop Bob Okala, one of Ghana’s most popular comedians, yesterday wept like a baby in the Kyebi Magistrate Court to portray his innocence in a case in which he has been accused of defiling a 9-year-old girl at Apedwa in the Eastern Region. His precious tears could however not sway the court, presided over by Mr. Charles Boafo Nimako, from remanding him in Police custody pending further investigations. His plea was not taken, and he was asked to re-appear on September 5, 2008. The ace comedian had to continuously wipe his tears in court with his shirt since he could not afford the luxury of a handkerchief under the circumstance. Bob Okala, 51, whose real name is Samuel Yeboah Boaben, allegedly defiled the child at Finsbury Hotel at Apedwa after her father, one Rockey Yeboah, had invited him to showcase one of his household performances at a funeral. Before praying the court to remand Okala, the prosecutor, Inspector Margaret Kontor stated that the child’s father, who had come from Accra to perform the funeral rites of his in-law at Odumasi, booked the hotel for the function and invited the ace comedian to come and entertain the mourners. According to her, Okala took advantage of the occasion to defile the child, which case was reported to the Apedwa Police. She told the court that the case was later transferred to the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) at the Kyebi Divisional Police Headquarters. When Daily Guide visited the Kyebi Divisional Police Commander, Chief Superintendent John Owiredu-Nkansah at his office, he corroborated the story, saying the case was brought from the Apedwa Police Station on Saturday. He stated that a medical form was immediately issued for the child to be examined at the Kyebi Government Hospital. According to him, the evidence in the medical report did not indicate or support the offence for which Okala was being accused of and therefore, there was the need to conduct further investigation to ascertain whether or not any sexual offence could be adduced. Mr. Owiredu-Nkansah intimidated that the child’s hymen was intact and sexual penetration was also zero, indicating that there could not have been any sexual intercourse with the child because those were normally the vital parts which showed any signs of defilement. He told Daily Guide that the child’s parents were yet to bring her to the police for her statement to be taken, adding that it was only after the statement that the appropriate charges could be preferred against the accused. It would be recalled that Bishop Okala, a native of Akim Oda in the Eastern Region, in June 2003, was remanded in prison custody by the Sunyani Circuit Court for allegedly defiling a 15-year-old girl at Nkoranza in the Brong Ahafo Region. The Judge who presided over the case then, Justice Kofi Debrah, had described it as a serious one that needed to be given an expeditious attention. The matter gained national attention when the Police Inspector handling the case, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Alex Yartey Tawiah revealed that Bob Okala had lured the 15-year-old girl into a hotel room and forcefully had sex with her. The victim had gone to watch a comedy show which Bob Okala featured in, and after the show, the comedian lured the innocent girl into his hotel room. Bob Okala was reported to have bought some boiled eggs and asked the victim to send them to his room where he forcibly had sex with her and upon realizing that the victim had reported the incident, he bolted at dawn the next day. ASP Tawiah disclosed further that the victim later fell ill and told her mother what Bob Okala had done to her. He said the case was reported to the police and reports of a medical examination conducted on her stated that there was an “old scar of hymen, bleeding from the uterus, vaginal and vulva injury”. Bishop Bob Okala, by then, pleaded not guilty to the two counts of indecent assault and defilement and was granted bail in the sum of ¢150 million (GH¢15,000) with a surety, after the victim had failed to appear in court. Source: Daily Guide