Corpun file 20298

Daily Trust, Abuja, 13 June 2008

Student gets 10 lashes for car theft

By Sikiru M. Jimoh

An Abuja magistrate yesterday ruled that a 17 year-old student be given 10 strokes of the cane and made to clean-up the court premises for conspiring with another person on the run to steal a car.

The student, Haruna Moses was punished for acting jointly with one Sam Loko (now on the run) to steal a Volkswagen Golf car belonging to one Iliya Ifu of Jikwoyi.

The Court Registrar, Mr Tijani Ahmed, while reading the First Information Report (FIR) informed the court that on April 30, Mallam Iliya Ifu reported to the police that the student and Sam Loko made away with his car from where it was parked in a Hotel at Nyanya, Abuja.

"The car was valued at the sum of N180, 000 and has engine number 0261033730 and chassis number NR 339088," he said.

Prosecutor Stephen Eimoga equally told the court that when the police investigated the case, the student admitted committing the crime.

"The exhibit was recovered in their possession," he added.

When the charges were read to the accused in the first hearing, he denied them and the prosecutor objected to his bail request.

"The first accused person is at large and releasing the second accused person will impede the smooth running of justice," he argued.

Trial magistrate, Ahmed Ndajuwo granted the application of the prosecutor remanded the student in prison and adjourned the case.

At the second hearing yesterday, the student changed his plea to guilty and the prosecutor informed the court that the accused has no previous record of crime.

Before announcing sentence, Magistrate Ndajuwo said he considered the age of the accused and the fact that the stolen car had been recovered.

He said the student had to be punished to serve as a deterrent to him and other future offenders.

"I hereby order that the accused be given ten lashes of the cane and he is to equally weed and clean up the premises of the court," the magistrate ruled.

 Any of the parties not satisfied with the judgment was given the right to appeal within thirty days of the judgment.

Corpun file 20361

The Tide, Port Harcourt, 27 June 2008

Man bags 10 years jail term over rape

A 43 years old man Mr. James Obasi has bagged 10 years jail term and forty one strokes of cane for raping a 13 years old girl.

An Ikeja magistrate court presided over by magistrate Abosede Botoku sentenced the accused who pleaded not guilty to the offence but was found guilty over the charge of raping a 13 years old house-maid.

The police prosecutor, Inspector Bartholomew Nwaokanya called for witness, including the young girl, her elder sister, a medical doctor and a police officer, who all testified against the rapist in the court.

The Tide on a good ground gathered that the 43 years old man who resides at Onilekere area of Lagos allegedly slept with the house maid (name withheld) in October 2007.

In her judgement, the presiding magistrate Abosede said that the evidence brought before the court by the prosecutor were so overwhelming and proved beyond reasonable doubt, that the accused was guilty as charged.

The presiding judge, who considered the gravity of the offence as a wicked act against humanity said, "if she has the power, she would have sentenced the accused to life imprisonment adding, "Men of such immoral character deserved punishment to serve as deterrent to others.

According to her, the prison term shall run concurrently and shall commence from the day he was remanded in prison custody.

Meanwhile the accused Mr. James Obasi pleaded that the magistrate should temper justice with mercy and granted him freedom to take care of the child that would be delivered by the teenage girl.