For raping an 11-year-old student, a 34-year-old schoolteacher was given a 12-year prison sentence by the Anambra State High Court, a court that deals with sexual and gender-based crimes in Awka.
Mr. Pascal Ofomata, the instructor, 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.
Speaking just after the verdict was handed down, Justice Peace Otti, the presiding judge, praised the diligence and skill of the prosecution’s lawyer, Chinelo Akorah Esq., for pursuing the case to its conclusion.
She was cited as noting that Akorah’s farewell speech was thorough and powerful. According to her, incidents of sexual misdeeds against boys rarely reach a definitive conclusion and the perpetrators are given justice.
The defendant had previously denied knowing anything about the youngster, claiming that he had never penetrated the victim’s anus. Nevertheless, he acknowledged that the victim had licked his penis and that he had instructed him to kiss him.
After a compelling and emotional trial, however, in which the victim’s physician and the investigating police officer both testified, the court upheld the case.
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After being found guilty, the defendant received a 12-year prison sentence.
Pascal Ofomata, the defendant in the three-count accusation against him, had already entered a not guilty plea.
He was accused of raping the youngster and causing him bodily damage, which are crimes covered by sections 3(1) and 4(1) of the Anambra State Violence Against Persons Prohibition Law, respectively.
Sexual abuse, which is punished under section 35(2) of the Child’s Right Law of Anambra State, is the third complaint against him.
The court also prohibited him from working in any establishment that employs people under the age of 18, including elementary, secondary, and even university institutions.
