A 34-year-old school teacher was given a 12-year prison sentence by the Anambra State High Court, a court that deals with sexual and gender-based crimes, located in Awka, for raping an 11-year-old student.
The instructor, Mr. Pascal Ofomata, was found guilty of defiling the kid, a junior secondary one student at St. Christopher’s Junior Seminary, located in the 3-3 neighborhood of Onitsha.
The presiding judge, Justice Peace Otti, spoke right after delivering the verdict and praised the diligence and skill of the prosecution’s lawyer, Chinelo Akorah Esq., for persevering through the case to the finish.
She was cited as noting that Akorah’s farewell speech was thorough and convincing. She claimed that it is extremely uncommon for cases involving sexual offenses against boys to be resolved definitively and for the perpetrators to get justice.
Although the defendant had previously denied having any knowledge of the boy and claimed that he had never penetrated the victim’s anus, he did acknowledge that the victim had licked his penis and that he had instructed him to kiss him.
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However, following a challenging and captivating trial that featured the testimony of the victim’s physician and the investigating police officer, the court upheld the case.
After being found guilty, the defendant received a 12-year prison term.
Pascal Ofomata, the defendant, had already entered a not guilty plea to the three counts that had been brought against him.
In accordance with sections 3(1) and 4(1) of the Violence against Persons Prohibition Law of Anambra State, respectively, he was accused of raping the youngster and causing him bodily damage.
The third complaint against him is sexual abuse, which is punished by section 35(2) of the Anambra State Child’s Right Law.
Furthermore, the court prohibited him from working in any establishment that employs anyone under the age of 18, including elementary, secondary, and even postsecondary institutions.
