Men charged with raping group of British schoolgirls in Ghana

Security guard shot while trying to stop girls being sexually assaulted at gunpoint

Four British schoolgirls and their teacher have been sexually assaulted in a coastal area near the Ghanaian capital of Accra (Getty Images)

Two men have been charged with rape after sexually assaulting a group of British schoolgirls and their teacher in Ghana.

The pupils were on a school trip in Accra, the capital city, on 8 December when armed men broke into their accommodation.

The teenagers and their teacher were sexually assaulted at gunpoint and had their possessions stolen.

A security guard was also shot and seriously injured when he tried to stop the attack.

Ghanaian police have now charged two men in connection to the attack and are looking for a third suspect.

Ishmael Akyene, 34, a Ghanaian national, is accused of 14 counts of robbery, one count of rape, one count of conspiracy to rape, one count of possession of a firearm, one count of possession of an instrument intended for unlawful entry and one count of money laundering.

Daniel Akpan, 29, a Nigerian national, faces the same charges, except he is accused of two counts of rape.

Both men have been remanded in custody in Ghana.

According to media reports at the time of the attack, the group of schoolchildren were in Ghana to volunteer and had paid £1,200 each for the trip. They were staying in a "secure walled" compound with gardens, The Sun newspaper said.