The Supreme Court has dismissed an appeal brought before it by Afor Lucky challenging the judgement of an Oleh High Court that convicted and sentenced him to five years imprisonment with hard labour for raping an 11-year-old girl.
In an unanimous judgement of the panel of five Justices of the Supreme Court, delivered by Justice Nwali Sylvester Ngwuta, the Supreme Court agreed with the arguments of the Delta State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Peter Mrakpor, asking the Court to dismiss the appeal.
The Supreme Court agreed that the lower court was right to have convicted and sentenced the appellant.
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 Ngwuta expressed dissatisfaction with the five years sentence, which also imposed an option of fine of N300,000 handed down to 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 of the five years prison term imposed by the trial Court on the appellant, the learned jurist held: “The sham of prison term 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 N300,000 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.”
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