(High Court. Photo by Daily Nigerian)
An Akwa Ibom State High Court sitting in Essien Udim has sentenced a 36-year-old woman, Uwakmfon Isaac Jonah, to life imprisonment for the attempted m*rder of a 12-year-old girl.
Delivering the judgement on June 25, presiding judge Justice Winifred Effiong convicted the defendant on a one-count charge of attempted m*rder contrary to Section 276 of the Criminal Code, Cap 38 Vol. 2, Laws of Akwa Ibom State, 2022.
The convict, a hairdresser and divorcee from Ikot Obong in Afaha Clan, Essien Udim Local Government Area, was found to have lured the victim away from Urua Akpan Market on July 20, 2023, before inflicting severe injuries on her neck and eye.
The victim, who had accompanied her mother a pepper trader to the market and was hawking fresh pepper at the time, recounted how the defendant approached her under the pretence of making a purchase, before deceiving her into following her into a nearby bush.
Once there, the defendant restrained her, tied her clothing over her mouth to prevent her from calling for help, and used a knife to cut her left eye and the right side of her neck before fleeing.
The defendant was arraigned on August 12, 2024, and pleaded not guilty.
During trial, she admitted taking the child into the bush but denied att@cking her, claiming she had handed the girl over to another woman cultivating waterleaf nearby. She was, however, unable to provide any identity, address, or description of the alleged third party.
Justice Effiong dismissed the claim as unsubstantiated and unbelievable, noting that the prosecution had successfully established the defendant’s guilt through the victim’s direct testimony, the injuries sustained.
The defendant’s own admission of leading the child into the bush, and the victim’s immediate identification of the defendant while receiving treatment at Saint Mary’s Hospital, Urua Akpan.
The court held that the circumstances clearly demonstrated an intention to k!ll, stating that a person who deliberately inflicts a deep cut on the neck of a helpless child must be presumed to intend the natural and probable consequences of such an act, and that the child’s survival did not negate that intent.
Following the conviction, defence counsel appealed for leniency, but Justice Effiong held that Section 276 of the Criminal Code prescribes a mandatory punishment of life imprisonment for attempted m*rder, leaving the court with no jurisdiction to reduce the sentence.
“The defendant, Uwakmfon Isaac Jonah, is hereby sentenced to confinement for life,” the court held.
