Three men jailed for raping and robbing four Brit schoolgirls and their teacher at gunpoint on trip to Ghana
THREE men have been jailed after raping and robbing four British schoolgirls and their teacher at gunpoint in Ghana.
Armed men broke into the group’s guesthouse shortly after they arrived in the country and launched the violent assault.
Four teenage girls and their teacher were raped by the gang before their belongings were stolen during the horror attack on December 8, 2018.
Some of the schoolboys were also assaulted, held at gunpoint and robbed before the attackers fled.
The attackers have been named as Ghanaian national Ishmael Akyene, 34, Nigerian national Daniel Akpan, 29, and Nigerian national Edem Asuquo, 33.
Prosecutors said the men were in the guesthouse for about three hours and left the property at around 4am, Ghana Web reports.
According to local media reports, the school group consisted of six male students, four female students, and two teachers – one male and one female.
The case has been deliberately shrouded in secrecy to protect the British children from being identified.
A UK police force, which is not being named to protect the identity of the victims, said all three men were sentenced to 73 years after being convicted of firearms offences, robbery and rape on Wednesday.
In a statement following the sentencings in Ghana, police said said “the group were held at gunpoint, and the female victims were subjected to serious sexual assaults”.
“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.
“All three men pleaded guilty at a court hearing in Accra in Ghana.”
According to local media, prosecutors said the men made the victims disclose passwords to their bank accounts, and passwords to one of their phones.