Court jails woman who brutalised boy in Ondo
By Akintunde Jacobs, Akure
An Ondo State Magistrate Court, sitting in Akure has sentenced a 36-year-old woman, Opeyemi Omoyemi to four and half years in prison for brutalising and inflicting body injuries on his 12-year-old house help identified as Joel Sunday.
Recall that the Ondo State Police Command detectives last week arrested Opeyemi for allegedly inflicting deep cuts on Joel who happens to be her house help in Akure. The boy was said to have been accused of stealing meat from the woman’s pot of soup.
The police, subsequently arraigned the woman in court on five-count charge bothering on attempted murder, child abuse, violence against persons prohibition, among others.
Police Prosecutor, Emmanuel Tanimowo, said that the defendant committed the offence on February 6, 2022 at her residence located at Idimango Adewale axis of Ondo road, Akure, the state capital.
Tanimowo informed the court that, the crime was reported to the police by one Mrs. Alice Ayedun, a community health officer after she saw the boy writhing in pains with blood flowing from various parts of his body.
The defendant was sentenced to four and half years imprisonment with hard labour on count one charge bothering on grievous harm, while she bagged one year imprisonment on count five.
But during the trial on Monday, the Police Prosecutor, Tanimowo applied for the withdrawal of count four charge which was granted by the Magistrate, Mrs O.A Edwin.
On his part, the Defense Counsel, Folusho Kayode, pleaded with the court to be lenient while passing sentence, particularly that the defendant was a first time offender.
He also informed the court that the defendant, who is a mother of four little children had been the one responsible for the welfare of the victim.
Kayode 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 behavior. The court should graciously pass the sentence.”
But while passing the sentence which will run concurrently, Magistrate Edwin 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.”
Following the sentencing, the Magistrate also adjourned the case to April 13, 2022 for trial in count three of the charge bothering on trafficking in persons which the defendant had pleaded not guilty.
