02.19.2010 at 3:07 pm | Have your say »

Whistleblower saves Ghana minors from US paedophile

The retired teacher from the US state of Minnesota is said to have video-taped about eight Ghanaian children carrying out a sex act on him.

The alleged lewd acts took place in his house at Adjomikpe near Sege in the Dangme East District of Greater Accra Region.

Lured minors

He is said to have lured the minors, aged between 3 and 12, by giving them sweets and food and then forced them to carry out the obscene acts.

At the end of every video, which lasts about three minutes each, he comments on the act of each child and mentions their names and where they live.

One of the comments read: An 11-year-old black (unprintable) filed, location in Dawa, Ghana.” Another one said: “A six-year-old (unprintable), she loves the taste of (unprintable).”

Face camera

In the videos, the accused’s face is hidden, but he is seen holding the minors’ heads and directing them to face the camera.

It is believed that Mr Larbash sells pictures to operators of pornographic websites.

The accused was said to have relocated to Adjomanikope after fleeing Techiman where he was living, upon realising that elders of the community were beginning to suspect him of luring little girls into similar sex acts.

Citizen journalist

A concerned citizen living in the area, whose name cannot be revealed due to the sensitivity of the matter, wondered what the children could have been doing in Mr Larbash house laid surveillance and upon interrogation the victims revealed their ordeal to him.

The citizen then informed the Department of Women and Children Affairs which also informed Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU), to take up the matter.

Upon investigations, some children confessed to DOVVSU that a certain man had asked them to carry out sex acts on him in exchange for sweets and food.

DOVVSU tipped the media, who then ran the story. The country was outraged and calls for the immediate arrest of Mr Larbash gathered momentum.

The police was mobilised to carry out the arrest of the accused.

Search yielded

A team was dispatched to Adjomanikope where Mr Larbash was arrested in his house.

A search yielded a computer and the suspect’s cell phone, a Nokia 6080, both containing pornographic materials that corroborated evidence from the minors that the expatriate always recorded the acts with his video camera and sometimes mobile phone.

Items such as digital camera, pen drive and other recordings gadgets, believed to have been used by the accused in filming the sex acts on the kids were also retrieved from the house.

In court, Mr Larbash pleaded not guilty to one count of unnatural carnal knowledge and seven counts of defilement under the Domestic Violence Law, Act 723.

He was sentenced to 25 years’ imprisonment.

After this episode, more  people were now able to communicate directly to the media that in turn uses the comments, opinion and tips from citizens for further follow-ups and investigation.

Citizen journalists continue to support the various media houses in Ghana. Some sending their comments on the matter through text messages,  callers on live radio and television programs.

| Tagged Case Studies, Crime, Ghana, Justice