5th March, 2013
The Federal High Court sitting in Enugu on Monday sentenced an artisan, James Onuele, to five years imprisonment for raping a nine-year old girl.
Justice M.L. Shuaib, who gave the verdict in Enugu on Monday, held that Onuele raped “a girl enough to be his own daughter.”
The prosecutor, Miss Comfort Agbola, had earlier told the court that the little girl was raped on July 13, 2011 at about 4 p.m. inside the convict’s bedroom.
She said the girl had gone to grind beans in his house at Ugwuoba, Oji River Local Government Area of the state when he had carnal knowledge of her.
Agbola said the convict first offered biscuits to the victim who refused but Onuele forced her into the room and raped her.
The state counsel said that after raping the girl, the victim could not stand up and the convict carried her with blood stains out of the room when a neighbour, Godwin Ejiogo, saw them and raised an alarm.
The counsel disclosed further that the victim had been going from one hospital to another for the treatment of injuries sustained during the act.
The defence counsel, Mr. Ikechukwu Ekeneme, appealed for time to file a defence.
After several adjournments and the defence counsel’s inability to file a defence, the presiding judge delivered the verdict.