Man to spend 5 years in jail for rape

The Supreme Court has upheld the judg­ment of an Oleh High Court in Delta State, that convicted one Afor Lucky, to five years impris­onment with hard labour for raping an 11 -year-old girl in the state.

A statement issued by the Public Relations Officer (PRO) Delta State Minis­try of Justice, Ivovi Aru­oriwo, said the apex court decried the high rate at which young and innocent girls were being defiled by adults.

A panel of five Justices of the Supreme Court in a unanimous judgment de­livered by Justice Nwali Syl­vester Ngwuta, agreed with the arguments of the Delta State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Peter Mrakpor, asking the Court to dismiss an appeal filed by counsel to the ac­cused person.

The apex court ruled that the lower court was right to have convicted and sen­tenced the appellant to a prison term of five years with hard labour.

Mr Mrakpor had argued that the necessary ingredi­ents to sustain the convic­tion were eminently pres­ent and proven beyond reasonable doubt at the lower court, noting that the appeal was an unnecessary waste of time.

In a similar develop­ment, a Delta State High Court sitting in Warri, has sentenced a 29year-old welder, Obor Omodavwe­jie, to 15 years imprison­ment for raping a 16-year-old girl.

The accused was pro­nounced guilty in a one count charge of rape brought against him.

“The Court in its verdict held that from the evidence adduced and after watching the demeanor of the vic­tim, believed her evidence as the pains on the victim’s face while testifying were obvious”, the court said.

The statement added that the incident occurred Oc­tober 1, 2014 at Edjeba in Warri South Council Area of the state.

It added further that the accused confessional state­ment claimed the victim consented to the sexual in­tercourse.

“Prosecution had told the Court that on or about the 1st day of October, 2014 at Edjeba, within the Warri Judicial Division had deceived the victim (name withheld) whom they leave in the area to get him an undisclosed item but when she brought the said item, the accused and his friend, now at large, overpowered her and dragged her in­side their apartment and had canal knowledge of her without her consent”, the statement said.