A Family Magistrate’s court sitting at Onueke Magisterial jurisdiction in Ebonyi State, yesterday sentenced a 51 years old man to five years imprisonment with hard labour for sexually assaulting a 10 years old female minor in the state.
The convict, Joseph Ngwuta was found guilty of sexually assaulting the minor at Ndufu Ezzama community on 30th, August 2021 behind her ( the victim)father’s shop, where she went to urinate.
The convict was caught red-handed by a woman living close to the shop, simply identified as mama Chinenye.
The findings of the court revealed that he( the convict) had assaulted her (victim) two other times and threatened to killed her if she says anything about it to anybody.
Consequently, the court presided over by Magisterate Chinedu Agama found Ngwuta guilty of forcefully inserting his fingers in the little girl’s vagina and closing her mouth with the other hand as written in his confessional statements at the police station.
The Police Prosecutor attached to the court, Sergeant Ikechukwu Onyeike explained that the convict was charged in the suit marked FLNK/MNK/1c/2021 with offence of sexual abuse punishable under section 35 of the Ebonyi state Child Rights and other related matters law, 2010, which attracts 14 years jail term at discretion of the trial court.
On her part, the Prosecuting Legal Officer from the State Ministry of Justice, Barr. Ijeoma Mike- Ajanwachukwu who expressed worry that the convict did not get the due sentence of 14 years, thanked the court for its ruling on the matter.
According to be, the ruling of the Court will serve as deterrent to other paedophiles.
She said: “I thank the court for the judgement. Though the magistrate did not sentence him to14years as stipulated by the State’s Child Rights and other Related Matters law 2010. The due punishment was not given to him. But the judgement will still have great impact on the man and the community in general.
“I must express my joy with the speedy trail of the matter and the judgement delivered today. The suspect though was not given the needed punishment specified by the law.
“With the judgement of today, it will send a strong massage to perpetrators of rape, defilement and sexual assault that in Ebonyi State, it’s no longer business as usual.
“Regrettably, this was not the first time the man sexually assaulted the little girl according to his confessional statements. He has been doing that before now but unfortunately, luck ran out of him that day when and old woman saw what was happening and raised alarm and the people came and got hold of him.
“The matter was thereafter reported to the police and the matter charged to court. If the old woman hadn’t caught him in the act, many other little girls would have also fallen to his trap. The major problem we are having with such cases is that parents would always want to settle out of court because of stigmatization.
“I must advice and encourage parents to always report such matters to the relevant authorities for prosecution as it will serve as deterrent to others who may want to get involved in such crime.
In an interview with the victim’s Guardian, Mr Tochukwu Imo narrated that “The incident happened on the 30/8/2021 at about 6:00am when the victim and her elder sister at Ndufu Ezzama went to open my shop.
“She told the sister that she wanted to urinate. She went outside behind my shop to urinate. As she was urinating the convict came from nowhere and closer her month with one of his hands and put his other hand finger inside her vagina . As he was fingering her and asked her not to shout.
“As he was fingering her, a woman came out and saw what he was doing to her. The woman asked the convict why he was doing that to her and he then removed his hand from her mouth and she started crying. The woman mama Chinenye raised alarm and came and told me and everyone around the community.
“The small girl further disclosed that that was not the first time the convict put his fingers insider her vagina and would always tell her not to tell anyone anytime he did it and if she did, he would kill her and keep her body at the backyard. Am so happy for the judgement in my daughter’s favor. I thank the court for giving the innocent child justice. Every bad person in the community will learn from this judgement”
On their parts,the Court Accessors Barr. Nweze Virgy and Jonathan Ibeogu appreciated the court for the said award-winning judgement in favor of the girl child and called for improved welfare packages for workers in the temple of justice.
