A'Ibom High Court Sentences Man, 23 To Life Imprisonment For Defilement

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A'Ibom High Court Sentences Man, 23 To Life Imprisonment For Defilement

An Akwa Ibom High Court sitting in Uyo has sentenced a 23-year-old man, Iniobong Okon Moses, to life imprisonment for defiling his three-year old step-daughter. The defilement occurred at Ikot Akpe in Uyo Local Government Area of the state. The court presided over by Justice Okon Okon found Moses guilty of rape contrary to Section 367 of the Criminal Code Cap 38, Vol. 2 Laws of Akwa Ibom of Nigeria, 2000. The judge described Moses as "a disgrace to humanity, whose conduct falls abysmally below even the conduct of beasts. The judge held that by his indefensible and despicable act the convict had shown himself "to be callous and devoid of passion. He further held that the convict "does not deserve to walk freely on Nigerian soil and breathe the air of freedom meant for decent members of the society. "In her childhood and angelic innocence and vulnerability, the victim could even have been looking at the accused gleefully in naivety expecting no hurt from the accused in loco parentis with her, Okon said. The convict, Moses, a native of Afaha Udo Eyop in Ibesikpo Asutan Local Government Area of the state in his confessional statement said he was drunk and that he defiled the infant by putting his fingers and penis into the victim's vagina on November 8, 2019 when his wife left for market. But the judge rejected the claim by the convict that he was drunk, saying, "drunkenness is not an exculpatory defence in law for the commission of a crime and more so, as it was self-inflicted. The police medical report shows history of abnormal vaginal discharge and wound on the labium of the victim, a case of sexual assault with genital ulcer and genital tract infection. The Court held that Moses "deserves to be put away for a long time from public glare to save innocent children from being further brutalised and ravished by him.