Anambra man imprisoned for ten years after defiling his daughter, nine years old
The Children, Sexual and Gender-based Violence Court, located in the High Court of Awka, Anambra State, has sentenced a middle-aged man named Kenneth Nwangu to ten years in jail for defiling his sole child, a nine-year-old daughter.
After strong evidence established the defendant’s guilt as accused, the state government filed three counts against him, and the verdict was rendered in all three cases.
As a result, he was found guilty on count one of having sex with a nine-year-old, which is punishable by Section 34 of the Child Rights Law of Anambra State of Nigeria, 2004. He was given a seven-year jail term.
In addition, the court sentenced the defendant to one year in jail for inflicting mental and psychological abuse on the victim and two years in prison for inflicting bodily injuries on the victim.
Sections 4 and 16 of the 2017 Anambra State, Nigeria, Violence Against Persons, Prohibition and Protection Laws penalize the two offenses.
In rendering its decision, the court considered testimony from prosecution witnesses, including the victim, and also considered evidence suggesting that the defendant had been caring for the youngster for almost a year following the child’s mother’s departure.
The offender was given an opportunity to address the court as to why he was raping his child and why he shouldn’t receive the maximum penalty of life in prison.
In response, the defendant first denied defiling his kid, saying that the accusation that led to his detention by the police was really made against a lady he typically left the child with after his wife filed for divorce.
But he eventually confessed to the crime and asked for forgiveness, and his defense attorney also begged the court for mercy, citing the defendant’s status as a first-time offender and the fact that the victim was his only child, among other reasons.
The victim is still under the custody of the Anambra State Government, per the court’s decision, and the seven, two, and one-year jail sentences are to be served consecutively.
Prof. Sylvia Ifemeje, the Anambra State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, who oversaw the prosecution team in the case, responded to the ruling by calling it a positive step that will discourage future perpetrators.
Ifemeje emphasized that there is no negotiating the state government’s zero tolerance policy for sexual assaults.
