TEMPLE OF JUSTICE – Judge Wesseh A. Weseh of Criminal Court “E” at the Temple of Justice has sentenced defendant Grawfar Tokpah, also known as Augustine Tokpa Yah, to 50 years in prison after a 12-member jury found him guilty of rape.
By: Trokon S. Wrepue – trokon1992seokin@gmail.com
The conviction followed a guilty verdict returned by the jury on September 14, 2026, with one juror abstaining.
The case stemmed from allegations that Tokpah raped a minor identified in court as Lucy Kollie, a pseudonym used to protect her identity, between 2023 and 2024 in the Mamba Point community in Monrovia.
During closing arguments, prosecutors told the jury that Tokpah intentionally lured the victim into his room under the pretext of watching movies while her mother was away.
Prosecutors argued that Tokpah took advantage of the circumstances because he and the victim lived in the same house.
They maintained that his conduct violated Liberia’s amended Rape Law, particularly Chapter 14.70(b), and further told the court that Tokpah admitted during police questioning to having sexual intercourse with the victim several times in his Mamba Point residence.
The defense, represented by public defenders, urged the jury not to base its decision on assumptions or hearsay, insisting that the prosecution had the burden of proving the case beyond a reasonable doubt.
The defense also challenged aspects of the prosecution’s argument, including references to the alleged impact of the case on Tokpah’s late girlfriend, and maintained that such claims should not influence the jury’s determination.
As documentary evidence, prosecutors presented a medical report issued by the John F. Kennedy Medical Center on May 7, 2024. Following the jury’s guilty verdict, Judge Wesseh handed down the 50-year prison sentence against Tokpah.
