Man jailed 12 years for killing girlfriend

An Igbosere High Court in Lagos on Wednesday sentenced a 46-year-old man, Tunde Omisakin, to 12 years imprisonment for causing the death of his girlfriend, Tina Toroso.
Omisakin was charged with cutting the right hand of his girlfriend with a cutlass, which resulted to her death.
He was first arraigned sometime in 2010, but was re-arraigned on February 16, 2016 before Justice Adedayo Akintoye when the former judge handling the case retired.
He was charged with a count of manslaughter, for which he pleaded not guilty and was remanded in prison.
The case went for trial and the prosecution called four witnesses.
However, at the resumed hearing on Wednesday, Justice Akintoye ruled that Omisakin was guilty as charged.
She said the prosecution was able to prove the ingredients of manslaughter beyond every reasonable doubt.
The judge said the prosecution witnesses clearly gave evidence establishing how the incident happened.
Akintoye held: “The prosecution’s evidence directly pointed to the defendant as the person who caused the death of the deceased, Miss Toroso.
“The defendant did not deny that he cut her hand but said he did not intend to kill her.
“I hold that the ingredient of manslaughter has been proven by the prosecution beyond reasonable doubt.”
Akintoye however noted that the defence had said the evidence of the prosecution witnesses was contradictory and that the evidence of the investigating police officers were merely hearsay.
She said: “The evidence adduced by investigating officers during investigations cannot amount to hearsay.
“I hold that the evidence of the prosecution is consistent and therefore reliable.
“This court hereby finds Tunde Omisakin guilty of manslaughter and is dully convicted.
“He is sentenced to 12 years imprisonment; the years of remand will be deducted from his sentence.”
The defence counsel, Grace Adenubi, of Legal Aid Counsel, had pleaded for leniency for the convict, adding that he was a first time offender and had been in custody since 2009 when he was arrested.
Earlier, the prosecution counsel, Abiodun Gbadamosi, had told the court that Omisakin committed the offence on December 8, 2008 at 2am in his residence at Lamgbasa, Ajah area of Lagos State.
Gbadamosi said the defendant caused the death of the deceased by cutting her right hand with a cutlass, which severed her veins.
She said the offence contravened Section 317 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2003.