Suspect Jailed 10 Years For Defiling 9 Year-Old Daughter

Middle-aged man, Kenneth Nwangu, has been sentenced to 10 years imprisonment by the Children, Sexual and Gender-based Violence Court sitting in the High Court, Awka, Anambra State, for defiling his nine-year-old daughter and only child.

The judgment was delivered in a three-count brought against the defendant by the state government following compelling evidence proving him guilty as charged, and was consequently sentenced to seven years imprisonment on count one – having sexual intercourse with a nine-year-old, an offence punishable under Section 34 of the Child Rights Law of Anambra State of Nigeria, 2004.

The court also sentenced the defendant to two years imprisonment on count two  inflicting physical injuries on his victim and one-year imprisonment on count three and causing emotional and psychological abuse on the victim, while, the two offences are punishable under Sections 4 and 16 of the Violence Against Persons, Prohibition and Protection Laws of Anambra State of Nigeria, 2017.

In its ruling, the court relied on evidence presented by prosecution witnesses, including the victim, and also took cognizance of evidence that the defendant had been taking care of the victim from about one year after the mother left them, among others, and allowed the defendant to explain why he was raping his child and should not be given the maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

Reacting to the judgment, the Anambra State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Professor Sylvia Ifemeje, who led the prosecution team in the case, described the judgment as a welcome development, saying it would serve as a deterrent to other offenders, and stressed that the state government’s zero tolerance for sexual assaults is non-negotiable.