A self-styled physiotherapist and neuromuscular expert, Jonathan Ohene Nkunim, who has been accused of sexually assaulting his female patients, has pleaded not guilty to four counts of rape.
He has currently been granted bail as the prosecution sets to parade three witnesses, including investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni.
Before the High Court presided over by Justice Marie-Louise Simmons, the accused selected his five-member team of assessors under the jury and assizes initiative, to assist the Court in determining the matter. Prior to arriving at the five, he rejected one.
The assessors comprised four females and one male and are to assist the Court determine the matter.
Dufie Prempeh, a Principal State Attorney, (PSA), said the prosecution will call three key witnesses to establish the four rape charges against the accused.
While addressing the assessors, the PSA said the accused has been charged with four counts of rape, has pleaded not guilty to the charges, and the prosecution is tasked to conduct the trial with the aid of assessors.
According to her, the prosecution is to prove whether indeed the accused had sex with the complainant, who was 40 years of age at the time of the incident.
She said that, generally in a criminal trial, the burden of proof of the charges against the accused is on the prosecution, except in the case of insanity or statutory protection.
Justine Teriwajah, Counsel for the accused, said that though the facts presented by the prosecution may seem indicting enough, the assessors should bear in mind that “in every story, there are two sides.”
He said at the next sitting he would take the assessors through the trial: “You will see the alternative side of this story.”
The presiding judge, Justice Marie Louise Simmons, has adjourned the case to June 26, 2026, for the prosecution to call their first witness.
Brief facts
Per the brief facts of the case presented to the court and the assessors, the complainant is a broadcast journalist, while the accused person, Jonathan Ohene Nkunim, is an alternative doctor who operates a facility called Nature’s Therapeutic Centre and is resident at Gbawe, a suburb of Accra.
The complainant, the PSA said, per a recommendation by a friend after placing a call to the accused person, visited his facility one day in April 2020 to seek treatment for her spinal condition, which had been persistent.
She said during the therapy session, the accused requested that the complainant disrobe and began massaging her back and buttocks, telling her that her muscles were too rigid.
“The accused then inserted his fingers into the complainant’s vagina and, upon observing the victim, explained that he was attempting to reach her tailbone and free her muscles,” she told the court.
She added that the accused then had sex with the complainant without her consent.
The PSA said afterwards, the victim confronted the defendant via a WhatsApp message about his behavior, and “he apologized, stating that he discovered during the therapy session that she had a pelvic floor disorder that required treatment before she could become pregnant in the future.”
The accused, following the conversation, promised not to repeat it.
“The accused then scheduled three to four appointments per week in April 2020 for the complainant,” she said, and “Every time she attended a session, the accused continued to have sex with her without her consent.”
Undercover investigations
The prosecution said the complainant subsequently alerted journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni, who conducted undercover investigations on the accused, leading to his arrest.
The PSA said Manasseh dispatched an undercover agent who visited the accused’s health facility, and the accused made identical sexual approaches towards the agent as he did to the complainant.
However, he could not have his way in this circumstance.
“The accused told the complainant and the undercover agent that he is a physiotherapist who once worked at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, but checks conducted at the Allied Health Professional Council revealed that to be false.
“The matter was subsequently reported to the police. On 22nd September 2021, a team from the Police CID arrested the accused, upon receiving information that over the years, he had been taking advantage of female patients by having sex with them without their consent under the pretext of providing alternative medical treatment,” the prosecution told the court.
It is on this basis that the accused person has been brought before this court to be committed to stand trial.
Criminal Assizes
Criminal assizes are special sessions of the High Court, opened each year to try indictable offences such as treason, murder, rape and robbery.
Assizes are an important element of the criminal justice system that provide an opportunity for persons accused of these grave crimes to receive a fair and speedy trial before a judge and jury.
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