The Magistrate Court sitting in Akure, the Ondo State capital has sentenced Ondo Widow, Opeyemi Omoyemi, who was arraigned for brutalizing her house help, Joel Sunday, to four and a half years in jail.
Newsflash Nigeria understands that Mrs Opeyemi brutalized her 10-year-old house help, Joel Sunday, lacerating his body severally with a razor blade for stealing a piece of meat from the pot of soup on February 6, 2022, at her residence in Idimango Adewale, Ondo Road, Akure.
She had pleaded guilty to four of the 5-count charge preferred against her.
Delivering her verdict, Mrs O.A Edwin slammed the defendant with three and half years imprisonment with hard labour on count charge one, which is on heavy bodily harm, and one-year imprisonment on count five.
The Prosecution Counsel, Emmanuel Tanimowo, an Assistant Superintendent of Police, during trial applied for the withdrawal of count four charges which the Magistrate granted.
The Attorney to the respondent, Folusho Kayode, pleaded with the court to be lenient with the respondent on grounds that she was a first-time offender.
He also told the court that she’s a mother of four children and had been responsible for the upkeep of the house help.
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The Attorney said: “The court should be lenient in passing sentence on the defendant. The prayer for leniency is that the defendant has been the one solely responsible for the wellbeing and education of the 12-year-old Sunday. She has been doing this dutifully for the past four years since the death of her husband.
“The defendant has kids and they have been crying since the incident happened as they could not see their mother.”
“The defendant is a first offender and has never been arrested for any inhuman behaviour. The court should graciously pass the sentence.”
In her ruling, the Magistrate said: “I know that the defendant is a first-time offender but the facts of the offences are not only an abuse on the victim but an offence against public policy.
“The sentence must therefore want to deter others and also ensure that justice is done to the victim.”
The case was, however, adjourned to April 13, 2022, for trial on count three of the charge which is on trafficking in persons, a charge to which the respondent had pleaded not guilty.
