The Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Western Regional Police Command has launched investigations into a case in which a medical doctor is alleged to have sodomised a 16-year-old senior high school student.

Speaking to the Daily Graphic, the Commander of the Unit, Assistant Superintendent of Police Mr Frank Nana Asumani, said the unit had served Dr Sulle Ali Gabass with an invitation through the Effia-Nkwanta Regional Referral Hospital  to appear before it.

He said although there was no formal complaint made to the command, the allegations bordered on criminality and the police would not wait for a complaint before acting.

Sodomy

Dr Gabass stands accused for sodomising the student (name withheld) on five occasions, three times in his vehicle and two times in the doctor’s house at Alajo in Accra, according to a JOY FM news report.

According to the report, the doctor had offered the victim money after the first act which he declined and had subsequently deleted the doctor’s number on his phone.

But the doctor, it said, called him with another number that if he failed to oblige to his sexual demands, he would “send people after him” and also blackmail him on Facebook.

“Apart from experiencing anu-rectal complications that saw him undergo surgery at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, the victim has been diagnosed with HIV,” the report stated.

Doctor admits acts

According to the report, Dr Gabass, on the other hand, admitted that he had anal sex with the victim on a number of occasions but denied that he was the source of the HIV infection.

He also admitted that he dreaded the outcome of the case going public because he was a high-profile personality with a beautiful wife and two children.

We are acting without a formal complaint

Mr Asumani said, “Currently, we are acting upon information in the media. What you must know is that if a crime is being committed, we cannot wait for someone to come and lodge a complaint before we act.”

At the moment, he said, the police had established the identity and address of the said doctor and that the unit was following the procedure by writing to the hospital administration to assist.

“The next thing is to establish the jurisdiction of the crime and we will collaborate with our units where the case may fall and ensure that the truth is established and justice prevails,” he said.

Reactions from medical superintendent

When contacted, the Medical Director of the hospital, Dr Paul Ntodi, said all he knew about the story was what was being broadcast on radio and online.

He said if what was being reported was true, it bordered on criminality and that it was the private life of the doctor and not what he had been employed to do.

“If the reported act dented the professional conduct of the doctor in his line of duty, I will immediately act. As we speak, I will not be in a position to make any comment about the issues or what he does after performing his duties here,” he said.

He confirmed that Dr Gabass was one of the hardworking staff of the hospital.



 

Graphic Online