Man bags seven-year jail term for raping 16-year-old girl

An Ogwashi-Uku High Court has sentenced one Tony Okogwu, to seven years in prison for raping a 16 year old girl in the bush.
The accused, a 44 year-old bricklayer was said to have deceived the girl into the bush before pouncing on her.
The court sentenced the accused without any option of fine after pleading guilty of a two-count charge of assault and rape.
The court averred that the crime is punishable under sections 355 and 358 of the Criminal Law Code, Cap C.21, Volume 1 Laws of Delta State, 2006.
The prosecuting Justice had told the court that the suspect on February 28, 2012, at Ogwashi-Uku within the Ogwashi-Uku Judicial Division had carnal knowledge of the 16 year old secondary school girl without her consent after forcefully dragging the girl into the bush who cried helplessly for help.
The victim who testified in court during trial gave a graphic account of how she was gruesomely defiled by the suspect.
While narrating her ordeal in tears, she said she was returning from an errand when the the accused accosted her, grabbed her and before she knew what was happening, lifted her on his shoulders and ran into the bush where he raped her.
Delivering judgement, the trial judge who declined a plea for leniency by defense counsel, said the punishment would serve as “deterrent to others”.
He was convicted with hard labour on the charge of rape and assault for seven years.
In the same vein, an Asaba High Court sentenced a school proprietress, one Esther Onekpe to two year jail term with hard labour for issuing a N4 million dud cheque to a bank where she obtained an overdraft facility.
Prior to her sentence, she was the proprietress of Bukky J. Nursery and Primary School, located at Joy Okonji Street, off Okpanam road, Asaba.
She was said to have obtained an overdraft of N4 million from the Asaba branch of the United Bank of Africa (UBA) Plc to boost her diesel business but rather she channeled it into building a school.
The convict, whose husband was said to be a Pastor of a Church around Umuagu Quarters, in Asaba, was said to be facing similar trials, bordering on dishonoured cheque before three separate High Courts in Asaba.
Prosecution had told the Court that the proprietress, a 38 year old woman, had on the 8th day of October, 2012 at Asaba within the Asaba Judicial Division issued a Wema bank cheque NO 1182114718 of N4million to UBA PLC which was dishonoured when presented on account of insufficient fund in the account and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 1(b) of the dishonoured cheque (offences) Act Cap D11, Volume 5, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
“The accused does not appear to be a witness of truth…it is my fair view that she knew that the cheque when presented will be dishonoured. she knew that there was insufficient funds in her Wema bank account. I therefore hold that prosecution had proved beyond reasonable doubt essential ingredients of the offence. I hereby convict the accused accordingly” the court held.
According to the Court the two year jail term slammed on the convict will start counting from the 19th day of March, 2013 the day she was arraigned before the court on the one count charge.