Supreme court affirms five- year jail sentence for rapist

  

• Supreme Court

The Supreme Court has dismissed an appeal brought before it by a convicted rapist, Afor Lucky, challenging the judgement of an Oleh High Court that convicted to five years imprisonment with hard labour for raping a 11 year old girl.

In a unanimous judgement of the panel of five Justices of the Supreme Court, delivered by Justice Nwali Sylvester Ngwuta, agreed with arguments of the learned Delta State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Peter Mrakpor Esq, asking the Court to dismiss the appeal, that the Lower Court was right to have convicted and sentenced the appellant.

Barr Peter Mrakpor further argued that the necessary ingredients to sustain conviction were eminently present and proven beyond reasonable doubt.

While affirming the judgement of the lower court, Justice Nwali Ngwuta  expressed dissatisfaction with the 5 years sentence which also imposed an option of fine of three hundred thousand naira, handed down on the appellant by the trial Court.

In upholding the judgements of the High Court and that of the court of appeal, the supreme court decried the high rate at which young and innocent girls are being defiled by adults in society.

 In respect to the 5 years prison term imposed by the trial court on the appellant, the learned jurist held thus “The sham of prison term he imposed on the appellant is an attack on law and moral basis for prison term. The young and old, who have their brains between their legs and who have a miserable sum of three hundred thousand naira to throw about can ravage young mothers at will. Not only that the brute violently, as in armed robbery, took away the pride of the innocent girl, the act is a major dent on her psyche and will remain so for life”.